28 and 29 June second round continues with the Netherlands against Slovakia, Brazil vs. Chile, Paraguay vs. Japan and Spain versus Portugal.
The third day of the second round saw the Netherlands beat continued their excellent to beat Slovakia 2-1. This victory made the team maintains 100% win every game, including qualification stages. As Brazil maintains his victory over Chile for third time including qualification match with biggest deficit 3-0.
The fourth day of the second round saw only one goal scored by Villa gave Spain victory. Prior to the meeting of Paraguay and Japan had to be determined by penalty kicks after a tied without goals. Paraguay and Spain qualified for the last eight by defeating their opponents Japan and Portugal.
Robben comeback with victory
Arjen Robben made an immediate impact on his first start for the Netherlands as he scored early on to sink Slovakia. Wesley Sneijder made the game safe in the final ten minutes as the Dutch progressed to the quarter-finals, before Robert Vittek netted a penalty with the last kick of the game.
Van Marwijk's men have a 100% record in South Africa - matching their impressive achievement in winning all their qualification games for the tournament - and have now gone a Dutch record 23 games unbeaten, but there remains discontent amongst the Oranje Army, who feel their side are not winning with sufficient style.
Such gripes, whilst arguably trivial in a successful side, are valid as the current Netherlands sides are not the aesthetically pleasing product of generations past.
They do not compare to the revered teams from 1974 and 1978, nor even are they as fluent as that which was eliminated from the European Championships at the quarter-final stage in 2008.
This Dutch have traded in their total game for dependent football, with an efficiently pragmatic, rigid structure functioning largely to feed a supremely talented and liberated front three of Sneijder, Robben and Robin van Persie.
The Dutch continue their successful – with nine points from their three games so far – are not a team that rattles easily. Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder both had good chances to score subsequently before Robben, in his first start at these finals, made his mark on the match. Chasing a long ball up from midfield, the Bayern Munich winger outpaced Radoslav Zabavnik up the wide-right channel, cut inside and fired low inside the near post, beating goalkeeper Jan Mucha who might have done better. It was only the second first-half goal scored by the Netherlands in South Africa.
After about 90 percent clock ticking with 1-0, the Dutch continued to push forward in search of another goal and with six minutes to go, and the withdrawn Robben now on the bench, Dirk Kuyt chased down a long ball and crossed low for Sneijder. The Inter Milan man made no mistake with the goal at his mercy and calmly bulged the back of the net. Even though Vittek managed a consolation goal for the Slovaks in the dying seconds of stoppage time – netting from the penalty spot after Stekelenburg had brought him down – it was too late to signal a change of fortune. The Dutch now march on to meet Brazil who contests their Round of 16 contests at Johannesburg's Ellis Park later in the evening.
Chile is not too hot for Brazil
Brazil saw off the challenge of a slightly disappointing Chile to seal a mouth-watering quarter-final tie against the Netherlands.
The Selecao defeated Chile 4-2 and 3-0 in World Cup qualifying - and Dunga's team eased to a comfortable victory at Ellis Park on Monday as their opponents became the first South American team to be eliminated from the competition.
Brazil also defeated Chile in the 1962 semi-finals and at this same stage of the 1998 tournament in France, scoring four goals in each game.
A team combining a potent mix of physique, power and mouthwatering ability were hugely assured in a one-side dismissal of their fellow South Americans to line up a quarter-final.
Juan opened the scoring in 34th minute with a powerful header and four minutes later Dunga's men had their second as Luis Fabiano got on to the end of a slick counter-attack to hit his third goal of the finals. Robinho surged down the left and slipped the ball infield to Kaka, who split Chile's central defence with a first-time pass to put Luis Fabiano in the clear.
Brazil third goal give secure path in last eight after Ramires strode forward from midfield, leaving two white shirts in his wake, and played in Robinho to curl a shot past the left hand of Bravo. It was Robinho's eighth goal in six matches against Chile and he came close to adding another with a low shot that Bravo tipped behind.
The game give Brazil undefeated in 33 games under Dunga when Kaka and Robinho have played together, winning 29 and drawing four.
Paraguay through on penalty
Paraguay won the first penalty shoot-out of the 2010 World Cup to reach the last eight for the first time and clinch a quarter-final place against either Spain or Portugal.
Coach Gerardo Martino's men scored all five of their penalties after a disappointing match had finished goalless at the end of extra-time.
With neither side able to make the breakthrough during 120 minutes of precious few goalscoring chances or notable incidents, it needed the first shootout of the 2010 World Cup to separate the two nations.
And it was Paraguay who emerged victorious after Japan defender Yuichi Komano, looking to make it 3-3, slammed his effort against the crossbar.
That proved to be the crucial miss as Paraguay scored all five of their efforts, with Oscar Cardozo casually slotting home the winning spot-kick to send his team wild.
Paraguay will now meet the winners of Tuesday's match with Spain for a place in the semi-finals, while the Blue Samurai head home after seeing their own dreams of a maiden World Cup quarter-final ended.
Disappointment Japan gone was the side that dazzled in the defeat of Denmark. In a poor, poor game, Japan contributed to a succession of listless passes and a few missed chances. Daisuke Matsui rattled the bar in the first half but they struggled for inspiration in the final third. Having said that, few expected Japan to make it out of the group stages and a defeat on penalties in the second round is far from a disgrace for a side that struggled for form heading into the tournament. In the likes of Keisuke Honda, Yuto Nagatomo and Matsui they have players who have proved their quality on the biggest stage of all.
There had never been a penalty shootout at the World Cup that did not involve a European side until this game.
Villa net kicks Portugal out
European champions Spain survived a stern test from Portugal to book their place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup through David Villa's goal.
Two years to the day since they beat Germany to triumph at Euro 2008, Vicente del Bosque's side showed their slick brand of passing football is still just as effective by edging out their well-drilled Iberian rivals.
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.
However Villa give Portugal upset when typically intricate build-up play saw Andres Iniesta feed Xavi who backheeled beautifully to the on-rushing Villa. The striker saw his first shot saved well by Eduardo but hammered the rebound high into the net.
Outside of a 7-0 hammering of North Korea, Portugal did not score a goal in this World Cup and that is a damning statistic. Carlos Queiroz may have promised to attack Spain prior to kick-off but a performance full of endeavour did not materialise and Portugal's malaise was embodied by the frustrated figure of Ronaldo, who did little to justify his lofty reputation. Queiroz's side struggled with their shape in the latter stages and departs the World Cup full of regret having proved less than the sum of their talented parts.
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