Paraguay kicked-off from left to right and took a while to
get into their stride, even though Spain seemed to be having a siesta at the back.
-- GOAL -- 0-1
With ten minutes gone, José Luis Chilavert waved his players upfield and took the
free-kick from deep in his own half. The long ball was headed out to Francisco Arce, on
the right of the Spanish area. Iker Casillas could only parry the drive as far as his own
defender, Carles Puyol, who knocked it back in..... for the third Own Goal
of the tournament.
Two minutes later, Chilavert tipped a shot from Raúl over
the bar for a corner.
Even though Spain already had three points in the bag, they
couldn't afford to lose this game..... but with six or seven Paraguayans around
Chilavert's area, they found the going tough.
Chilavert's ability to read the game quickly thwarted
Raúl's attempt to get onto the end of an inviting through-ball from Tristán.
Spain continued to have more of the possession and create
more attacking chances but in reality the under-achievers only created half-chances and
Paraguay held onto their lead.
Paraguay also looked dangerous on the counter attack with
Acuña, Cardozo and Santa Cruz the moving targets for Francisco Arce to aim for.
Half-time: Spain 0 -- Paraguay 1
Spain started the second-half with a team change: Ivan
Helguera and Morientes in for Luis Enrique and Diego Tristán.
-- GOAL -- 1-1
Paraguay tried to cling onto their lead, closing out the renewed threats from Morientes
and Raúl, but couldn't prevent Fernando Morientes from rising high to
head in from a corner -- 53 mins.
-- GOAL -- 2-1
Chilavert failed to get to a Francisco De Pedro cross from the left and substitute Morientes
stumbled in his second goal, to give Spain the lead for the first time in the match -- 69
mins.
With a little over ten minutes remaining, Chilavert ran up
the pitch to take a free-kick for Paraguay and Casillas had to get down well to save it on
the line.
-- GOAL -- 3-1 Hierro made it two goals in two games from the spot after Raúl was
obstructed on a turn in the area.
Spain become the first team to definitely qualify for the Second Round -- and will play someone from Germany's group.
Player of the Match:
Francisco De Pedro -- His corner and left wing cross provided the ammunition for Morientes
to shoot Spain into a 2-1, second-half lead.
Yellow Cards:
Ruben Baraja (9 mins)
Francisco Arce (44 mins)
Diego Gavilán (60 mins)
Roque Santa Cruz (80 mins)
The Teams:
Spain:
1 Iker Casillas; 3 Juan Garcia, 6 Hierro, 20 Nadal, 5 Carles
Puyol; 8 Ruben Baraja, 11 Francisco De Pedro, 21 Luis Enrique (4 Ivan
Helguera -- 46 mins), 17 Juan Carlos Valerón (19 Xavi -- 85 mins); 7 Raúl,
10 Diego Tristán (9 Fernando Morientes -- 46 mins).
Paraguay:
1 José Luis Chilavert; 2 Francisco Arce, 5 Celso Ayala, 18 Julio
César Cáceres, 21 Denis Ramón Caniza (6 Estanislao Struway -- 78 mins),
4 Carlos Gamarra; 10 Roberto Miguel Acuña, 14 Diego Gavilán,
13 Carlos Humberto Paredes; 20 José Saturnino Cardozo (11 Jorge Campos -- 63
mins), 9 Roque Santa Cruz.
