Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand
MATCH SUMMARY
# Man of the Match: Lucas Barrios - It says a lot about the quality of the game that a substitute was the pick of the players, but the striker showed real intent when he was introduced. Looked lively after coming on, getting into good positions on the wings and producing a couple of dangerous crosses.
Note: Official MOM - Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay)
# Paraguay verdict: Very disappointing following two impressive performances against Italy and Slovakia. Lacked a real cutting edge and failed to produce in the final third. Were reduced to woeful long-range efforts and must reproduce their form of the previous fixtures to have any hope of advancing.
# New Zealand verdict: Too limited, the All Whites didn't push forward until the final ten minutes and never really looked like forcing anything from the game. They didn't possess enough quality but must be praised for their fantastic run - an unbeaten World Cup campaign represents an incredible achievement for the minnows.
# Could do better: Oscar Cardozo - One shot from long range is all the striker had to show for his 66 fruitless minutes and he will almost certainly be dropped in favour of Barrios for Paraguay's second-round match. His hold-up play was abysmal and he is perhaps still feeling the effects of a pre-tournament injury.
# Stat attack: Paraguay advanced from group play in both 1998 and 2002, but had the misfortune to face one of the eventual finalists in the second round in both years, losing to France in 1998 and Germany in 2002, both by a 1 0. They will have to negotiate a way past either Japan or Denmark in the second round this time, with Brazil their likely opponents in the quarter-finals.
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