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Spain will be wary when it faces Paraguay on Saturday in Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium of not making the same mistakes as in the past.But not all lessons had been learned as the Iberians stumbled in their opening group match and were beaten 1-0 by Switzerland.
The impressive Dutch march through the World Cup finals might hit a brick wall on Friday when they meet a Brazil side in startling form and looking everything like becoming champions for a sixth time.
Octopus oracle Paul this week hesitated but ultimately picked Germany to win - again - this time over Argentina in their quarterfinal matchup at the football World Cup.
In the search for tactical supremacy, soccer's big guns and some young pretenders have turned to the chapter marked 'counter-attack' to blast their way into the World Cup quarter-finals.
Another second-round finish for Paraguay at the World Cup will be a big disappointment for coach Gerardo Martino, who has set his heart on steering them into uncharted territory.
DPRK have picked themselves up from a 7-0 mauling by Portugal and will meet the power of Ivory Coast head on in their final game of the 2010 World Cup finals, coach Kim Jong-hun said on Thursday.
World champions Italy need a win against Slovakia on Thursday to ensure they stumble into the World Cup second round and all eyes will be on captain Fabio Cannavaro after mistakes in the first two matches led to goals.
Surprise Group H leaders Chile have promised more dynamism and attacking flair in their final match against contenders Spain on Friday to cap off their most impressive World Cup run in half a century.
Drawn into the toughest group, DPR Korea coach Kim Jong Hun said Sunday that his team can still reach the second round despite their opener loss at the World Cup.
Mexico recorded their first victory over France and left the former winners facing a possible embarrassing early World Cup exit after a 2-0 win in their second Group A game on Thursday.
Semifinals Fixtures
| July 7 |
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July 8 |
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Top Scorers
|
Player |
Team |
Goals |
David Villa | ESP | 5 |
| Sneijder | NED | 5 | |||
| Diego Forlan |
URU |
5 | |||
| Mueller |
GER |
5 | |||
|
Vittek |
SVK | 4 | |||
|
Klose |
GER |
4 |
|||
|
Higuain |
ARG |
4 |
|||
|
Asamoah Gyan |
GHA |
3 | |||
| Donovan | USA | 3 | |||
| Luis Suarez | URU | 3 | Fabiano | BRA | 3 |
URU 2 - 3 NED 
GER 0 - 1 ESP 