SUWON, South Korea -- Spain went through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after a nail-biting penalty shootout here against Ireland, the first so far of the tournament.
After leading until just two minutes before the end of regulation time, Spain finally went through when Gaizka Mendieta scored the vital penalty to see the Spanish through 3-1 on penalties after both teams had had five attempts.
For the Irish, the clear underdogs before the match, it was a heartbreaking way to go out of the competition, as they managed to miss three penalties in the shootout in addition to one in normal time.