Spain dramatically beat Paraguay 1-0 to meet Germany in semis

After a penalty drama, David Villa's winner gave Spain a 1-0 victory over Paraguay and booked a semifinal clash with Germany, in what will be a repeat of the Euro 2008 final.

In a game that lacked quality for long periods, both sides missed penalties in an incredible three-minute spell in the second half. Oscar Cardozo missed first, but then Xabi Alonso scored and missed after he was forced to retake.

In the 83rd minute, a fantastic run from Iniesta, slaloming through two defenders and laying the ball off to Pedro whose shot rebounded off the post to David Villa. Villa, who had already scored four goals in the World Cup, scrambled the ball home to top the scorers' list. Interestingly, his effort hit both posts before rolling over the line.

The Valencia striker, 29, scored twice in Spain's 2-0 win over Honduras, opened scoring in the 2-1 win over Chile, collected the winner in 1-0 win over Portugal in the Round of 16.

The peanlty drama, however, stunned the world tonight.


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