2010 FIFA World Cup Paraguay(0) vs Spain(1) Spain edge past resolute Paraguay Spain set up a potentially thrilling 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 claim a 1-0 win over a resilient Paraguay 1-0 at Johannesburg's Ellis Park. The goal saw Villa take an outright lead in the race for the adidas Golden Boot with five goals but the match was as much a tale of two failed spot-kicks, one for each side. 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 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 consigned to the bench. Both sides went into the match aiming for new heights. Spain clinched 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. The in-form Villa only rarely found space on the left flank in the early stages, while at the other end Nelson Valdez ... From: trxstudio Views: 18 0 ratings Time: 03:12 More in Sports Keep Reading