SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 : Spain and Paraguay fans head for quarter-final clash.

Record ID: 452787

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 : Spain and Paraguay fans head for quarter-final clash.
  • Date: 4th July 2010
  • Summary: VARIOUS SPANISH FANS SINGING IN BAR FANS
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA8RAO34N3MWXB98RMNQBXY74I1
  • Story Text: Spain and Paraguay fans arrive for the last World Cup quarter-final to determine who has the right to meet Germany in the semis.
    Fans arrived at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday (July 3) for the World Cup quarter-final match between Spain and Paraguay.
    Some came early to watch the third quarter-final between Argentina and Germany in a nearby bar. With Germany coming out with a 4-0 victory, it will face the winner of Saturdays game in the semi finals.
    "I hope we will win the match today because we are a strong team. The Paraguayans are not better than us, I hope it will be 4-0 for Spain, because we are Spanish and the best team in the world,"
    said one of the fans Javier.
    "I think we win win 3-1. Torres will score the first goal in the 15th minute and then Sergio Ramos and then 15 minutes before the finish, Villa," confidently predicted another fan Raul.
    "I think we will definitely win 2-0 in the first part of the match and the goalscorers will include David Villa - we will make our way to the semi-finals," said another fan Siso.
    The two countries share their language, but are known to have an entirely different approach to football.
    While the South Americans have made defence one of their hallmarks, the reigning European champions are committed to a possession-based, attacking game.
    The contrasting approaches will be set in clear focus when the two sides meet in Johannesburg. The reward for the winners is a place in the semi-finals.
    The team that comes out on top will be making history. In the last eight for the fifth time, Spain have never reached the semis, although they did finish fourth at Brazil 1950, while La Albirroja have already broken new ground and are intent on venturing further.
    "We are going to win, we have a really good team and so do they. It's going to be a really good game to watch, full of excitement. And I believe we are going to win tonight," said Paraguay fan Jorge.
    Saturday's match will be the fourth meeting between the countries. Two of their previous encounters ended in goalless draws, one a 2002 friendly and the other coming in the group phase at France 1998.
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