Paraguay 0 Spain 1

Scorer: Villa (Spa)

Attendance: 55359

Spain won through to a potentially epic semi-final meeting with Germany but the European champions had to do it the hard way requiring a lone second-half strike from David Villa to edge past a typically resolute Paraguay 1-0 at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park. The goal saw Villa move to outright lead of the adidas Golden Boot with five goals but the match was as much a tale of two failed spot-kicks, one for each side.

A confident Vicente del Bosque fielded an unchanged Spanish line-up to that which defeated neighbours Portugal 1-0 four days ago. Conversely Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino made a remarkable six changes to the team which squeezed past Japan on penalties. Left out were his trio of misfiring strikers with Roque Santa Cruz, Edgar Benitez and Lucas Barrios all remaining on the bench.

Both sides went into the match aiming for new zeniths. Spain made a top-four finish in 1950 in a round-robin final stage but they have never competed in a FIFA World Cup™ semi-final, while Paraguay had already achieved a first by progressing past the Round of 16.

If Spain were feeling complacent then one of the new faces in La Albirroja’s forward line, Jonathan Santana, provided an early wake-up call by forcing Iker Casillas into a save in the opening minute. Paraguay didn’t allow Spain to settle and successfully disrupted their normally crisp passing game during the first half. In-form David Villa only rarely found space on the left flank in the early stages, while at the other end Nelson Valdez looked dangerous whenever Paraguay made forays forward.

Spain midfielder Xavi took matters into his own hands on the half hour mark with a wonderful snap shot; the dipping volley from 30 metres clearing the crossbar with goalkeeper Justo Villar scrambling. Minutes later at the other end Santana narrowly failed to connect with a diving header from a Claudio Morel cross. Valdez then had the ball in the net four minutes before the break only to see his effort disallowed for offside as Paraguay finished the first half in a positive frame of mind.

The second half commenced in similar fashion to the first period with stalemate and neither goalkeeper under threat until a remarkable period either side of the hour mark.

Gerard Pique wrestled Oscar Cardozo to the ground as a corner, Paraguay’s first of the night, was played in from the left. Cardozo looked set to give La Albirroja a stunning lead against the European champions only for skipper Casillas to rescue his side with a superb stop diving to his left.

Within 60 seconds Antolin Alcaraz was deemed to have bundled over Villa in the penalty area and Spain had their own chance from the penalty spot. Xabi Alonso buried his spot-kick but Spanish joy was short-lived with a retake ordered for encroachment. This time Villar dived low to his left and parried Alonso’s effort with Paraguay just scrambling the rebound to safety. It is the first time that two penalties had been missed in a FIFA World Cup match since Argentina and Mexico took the field in 1930.

Minutes later Andres Iniesta hit a curling effort that was well blocked by Villar, and it was indeed to be the Barcelona midfield genius who proved the difference in the decisive moment of the match seven minutes from full time. Budweiser Man of the Match Iniesta made a driving run from midfield teeing up Pedro, whose shot hit Villar’s right-hand post before rebounding to Villa who placed his effort against the left side of the goal with the ball eventually nestling in the net, but only after incredibly rebounding off the opposite post.

In the final minute Casillas saved his side with a double block from Santa Cruz and Barrios, while Villa was similarly denied by the impressive Villar in a lighting counter-attack.

Spain 1 Portugal 0

Scorer: Villa (Spa)

Attendance: 62955

A 63rd-minute David Villa goal proved enough for Spain to beat Portugal and reach the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. The highly-anticipated meeting between these Iberian rivals, the first in six years, lived up to expectations, certainly in the first half when Carlos Queiroz's side were unlucky not to be rewarded for their endeavour in Cape Town. La Roja were dominant after the break, however, and El Guaje's close-range finish ensured they will now meet Paraguay for a place in the last four.

Both teams went into the match protecting proud records, with Spain having won 29 of their last 31 matches. Portugal were on a 19-match undefeated run dating back to November 2008, with 20 clean sheets in 24 matches since Queiroz assumed their reins.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque named an unchanged side from the one that beat Chile in their final group game, with the inclusion of Xabi Alonso allaying initial fears that an ankle injury would prevent his inclusion. Portugal, conversely, were forced into two changes as injuries to forward Danny and defender Duda afforded starts to Atletico Madrid's Simao and Hugo Almeida of Werder Bremen.

A high-tempo opening saw Fernando Torres unleash a goal-bound shot that Eduardo did well to parry away, before it was the turn of the in-form Villa to warm the hands of the Portuguese goalkeeper. It was far from one-way traffic, and Tiago's drive from 30 metres was only palmed into the air by Iker Casillas, with Almeida seemingly set to head into an empty net only for the Spain captain to recover and push the ball to safety at the midway point of the first half.

Soon after, Cristiano Ronaldo unleashed a venomous long-range free-kick which Casillas could again only parry, with the ball somewhat fortuitously avoiding a host of lurking attackers. It was proving an uncomfortable opening period for the Real Madrid custodian, who was captaining La Roja for a record 51st time, surpassing goalkeeping predecessor Andoni Zubizarreta at the head of the list.

The early energy gave way to a slightly more measured pace, with Portugal having the better of the latter exchanges in the opening half. A Seleção das Quinas seemingly resumed where they had left off after the interval. Tiago burst down the left flank with an impressive turn of speed, and his cross looped off the knee of Carles Puyol and over Casillas, only to narrowly bounce the wrong side of the post.

Spain's pedigree soon started to shine through and on the hour mark, substitute Fernando Llorente directed a diving header straight at a relieved Eduardo. Within 60 seconds Villa grazed the post with a curling drive, with the momentum having well and truly changed hands. Then came what proved to be the game's only goal. Xavi flicked a short pass from Andres Iniesta to Villa, whose shot was blocked by Eduardo. However, the rebound fell kindly back into the path of Villa who guided the ball home off the underside of the bar.

Spain controlled possession thereafter, as Portugal broke sporadically in their quest to save their South Africa 2010 campaign. Spanish defender Sergio Ramos came within inches of a rare goal after a strong run and shot on the right only to see the impressive Eduardo stick out a strong right hand and turn the ball narrowly around the post. Having joined Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain and Robert Vittek of Slovakia on four goals at the front of the race for the adidas Golden Boot, Villa was looking to go one better, and his thunderbolt from 30 metres would surely have found the net had it been marginally either side of Eduardo.

Portugal's stand-out player Ronaldo was kept largely quiet with a late red card to Ricardo Costa compounding the misery. Two principal stars delivered decisive performances for the victors with Budweiser Man of the Match Xavi making a significant contribution as his side enjoyed 61 per cent of the possession, while Villa left Green Point Stadium having settled the outcome.

Chile 1 Spain 2

Scorers: Millar (Chi), Villa (Spa), Iniesta (Spa)

Attendance: 41958

Spain beat ten-man Chile 2-1 to finish top of Group H and book a Round of 16 meeting with Portugal, while their opponents' courageous display was rewarded with a date with Brazil.

Goals from David Villa and Andres Iniesta, coupled with Marco Estrada's dismissal, appeared to give the European champions an impregnable lead at the break, but Rodrigo Millar's deflected strike got the South Americans back into a game they were desperate to win to guarantee a place in the knockout phase. As it transpired, Switzerland's inability to beat Honduras ensured Marcelo Bielsa's side advanced – something the Chilean players discovered, to their immense relief, after their faces had been pictures of desperation upon the final whistle in Tshwane/Pretoria.

A capacity crowd at Loftus Versfeld Stadium anticipated a beguiling duel between two footballing sides, whose players swiftly began satisfying those expectations. Chile's Alexis Sanchez drew gasps from the spectators with an eye-catching drag-back, while Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta served notice of his return to fitness and form by nonchalantly side-stepping two opponents and freeing Villa.

The contest's first chance fell to Fernando Torres, who raced in behind the Chile defence but, under pressure inside the area, blazed over. A better one then fell to Mark Gonzalez. Jean Beausejour squared the ball across goal and, although it was marginally behind the 25-year-old winger, he will have been disappointed at his failure to get a decent connection on a close-range shot.

Chile continued to push the pace until the 24th minute. That was when the Europeans took the lead. And that was when Villa became the first Spaniard to reach ten goals in major international competitions. Xabi Alonso started the move, robbing Jorge Valdivia of possession and launching the ball forward. Torres gave chase, outstripping the last Chilean defender and forcing Claudio Bravo to race from his line and, while sliding, divert the ball away from the Liverpool striker's path. Unfortunately for the Real Sociedad goalkeeper, his clearance dropped into the path of another clinical Spaniard and Villa, from 40 yards, duly curled the ball into the unguarded net.

Thirteen minutes later, Spain moved into a two-goal lead. Alonso carried the ball through the midfield and fed Villa, who broke into the area and, after drawing two opponents to him, cut the ball back for Iniesta to effortlessly pass it into the bottom-left corner of Bravo's goal. The referee, Marco Rodriguez, then red-carded Estrada, who had tripped Torres as he was galloping into the penalty area seconds before the goal.

Logic said that it was curtains for Chile. Bielsa, their indomitable coach, said otherwise. He remodelled his tactics, electing to attack through the centre rather than from the wings, introducing Millar and Esteban Paredes for Valdivia and Gonzalez in an adventurous double substitution. It immediately reaped dividends. Two minutes after the restart, Millar's shot deflected off Gerard Pique and looped over goalkeeper Iker Casillas and into his net.

Thereafter, however, Chile struggled to unravel their opponents' tactics and, when they did, Parades wasted half-chances. Villa fluffed better ones, his touch deserting him twice in quick succession around the hour mark. Vicente del Bosque's side then intelligently played possession football. Gradually, they exhausted their adversaries, who were already a man down. Bielsa bellowed instructions from the touchline, but Spain's impeccable ball retention left the Chileans unable to execute their coach’s orders.

There were looks of relief and delight from the Spaniards upon the final whistle. There were ones of uncertainty from the Chileans. That was until they heard the news: they were through to the Round of 16.

Spain 2 Honduras 0

Scorer: David Villa (Spa) 2 goals

Attendance: 54386

Spain got their FIFA World Cup™ campaign back on track with a win against Honduras that was far more comprehensive than the 2-0 scoreline indicated. The Central Americans were the unlucky victims as the European champions returned to the kind of form which placed them among the pre-tournament favourites, David Villa claiming the Budweiser Man of the Match award for his two-goal haul.

Spain's victory lifted them alongside Switzerland with a win apiece, though still three points off Group H pacesetters Chile, their final opponents on Friday. Honduras, meanwhile, now need to win their last match against Switzerland, and hope Chile do them a favour against Spain, to have any hope of progressing.

Injury to Andres Iniesta saw Spain coach Vicente del Bosque reshuffle his pack with Fernando Torres brought into the line-up to join Villa in attack. Sevilla's right-sided flanker Jesus Navas was also given a place in the starting XI with David Silva omitted. It was no surprise to see Spain, undoubtedly stung by their opening loss to Switzerland, start in an attacking mode. Villa rattled the crossbar after just six minutes with an effort from 25 metres, while Sergio Ramos was unable to get downward force on a free header at the back post just minutes later.

Spain caused constant problems on both flanks with Villa operating on the left and Navas on the right. Villa appeared to be in supremely confident mood and it was no surprise to see Barcelona's recent signing open the scoring with what is set to be one of the individual goals of the tournament. Cutting in from the left, Villa dissected a path through two defenders when there appeared to be none, before rounding a third attempt at a tackle and unleashing a shot into the roof of the net.

On the half-hour mark, Torres had two good openings within the space of 60 seconds as Spain upped the ante further still. The Liverpool man, perhaps still showing signs of rustiness after his return from injury last month, guided a header into the ground and over the crossbar, before then skying his shot after a dribble into the penalty area. Honduras rarely threatened in the opening period, winning their first corner only in the final minute of the half. Honduran speed-merchant David Suazo received scant service up front as La Roja dominated midfield possession.

The second half started disastrously for the Hondurans with Villa doubling the advantage just six minutes after the restart, his shot from 20 metres taking a wicked deflection off the knee of Osman Chavez and looping over the outstretched hand of stranded goalkeeper Noel Valladares. Just past the hour, Emilio Izaguirre's foul on Navas in the penalty area gave Villa a golden opportunity to record a hat-trick but he pushed his spot-kick wide and in the process became the first Spain player to miss a penalty at the FIFA World Cup.

Nevertheless, Spain appeared certain to kill off the game with a third goal, only to be guilty at times of overplaying the passing movement when presented with a shooting opportunity. Substitute Cesc Fabregas appeared certain to score with his first involvement but, after springing the offside trap and rounding Valladares, the Arsenal skipper saw his shot impressively cleared off the line by a retreating Chavez. Honduras found some joy in attack in the final stages with Suazo firing wide and half-time substitute Georgie Welcome guiding a header the wrong side of the post. Yet Spain were still the team pushing hard until the final whistle with only some determined defending and their own profligacy ensuring the scoreline remained unchanged.