PRETORIA — Japan crashed out of the World Cup finals in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday after a 5-3 penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay in the second round.
Yuichi Komano missed Japan's third spot kick and Oscar Cardozo buried the decisive penalty to give the South Americans victory after a goalless 120 minutes and deny Japan a first ever place in the quarterfinals.
Paraguay will now meet European champion Spain, which beat Portugal 1-0, at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday for a place in the semifinals.