HOLLAND winger Arjen Robben believes he is not yet at his best despite earning the man-of-the-match award against Slovakia.

JAPAN coach Takeshi Okada admits it would be "wonderful" news for the sport back home if his side can reach the World Cup quarter-finals, but insists that must be just

FIFA president Sepp Blatter may be open to the idea of goal-line technology after the World Cup finals.

FABIO CAPELLO is ready to hand Arsenal duo Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs England call-ups if he remains as national team boss.

BRAZIL coach Dunga warned that his tournament favourites' confidence is increasing with every match after they eased to a 3-0 victory over Chile.

SPAIN coach Vicente Del Bosque believes his side's shock opening defeat by Switzerland has been "highly motivating" as they seek to add the World Cup to their Euro

JAPAN'S dead-ball prowess could hold the key to breaking down Paraguay's stingy defence as both World Cup underdogs chase a first appearance in the quarter-finals.

SPAIN'S golden generation faces its sternest World Cup test against Portugal tonight, with Cristiano Ronaldo standing in the way of a spot in the quarter-finals.

ONE of the men who blocked the use of technology in football yesterday insisted video replays would risk endangering the "brilliant" game - despite the furore over Fra

THE Netherlands, inspired by fit-again Arjen Robben, booked a World Cup quarter-final spot after a narrow 2-1 victory over Slovakia.

WAYNE Rooney was meant to be one of the shining lights at this World Cup but in the end the England striker produced little more than a flicker.

Brazil's relentless march to the latter stages of this World Cup continued with an effortless victory over Chile last night.

ENGLAND manager Fabio Capello has defended his £6 million annual salary, after his team flopped at the World Cup finals.

FABIO Capello will discover in two weeks' time whether he is to retain his £6 million-a-year job as England head coach after a disappointing World Cup campaign in South Af

SPAIN'S crusade to add the World Cup trophy to their Euro 2008 title continued tonight with a closely-fought last-16 win over Iberian neighbours Portugal.

Takeshi Okada says he'll become a farmer after the World Cup, but just hours before Japan's second round showdown with Paraguay, the quietly-spoken coach shows no sign of pulling up roots. Okada is confident that his side can make history and reach the final eight of a World Cup for the first time, taking one step closer to fulfilling his pre-tournament prediction that Japan are good enough to reach the semi-finals in South Africa. Few were left doubting that premise after Japan's 3-1 drubbing of Denmark in their final group game , in a match in which both Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo mastered the erratic Jabulani ball to crash home spectacular free-kicks. Japanese players have long been renowned for their exceptional technique, but it's the hard-running and incisive vision of CSKA Moscow midfielder Honda that has caught the eye, with a host of European clubs now putting the creative talent at the top of their shopping list. Honda had hardly featured for the Samurai Blue in the build-up to the World Cup finals, but he has quickly transformed into a team leader in the absence of an out-of-sorts Shunsuke Nakamura. Such is Honda's exceptional form up front that Shimizu S-Pulse striker Shinji Okazaki now looks likely to spend the rest of the tournament starting from the bench, despite the fact that the powerful front man was the most prolific international striker in 2009. Okazaki is not the only player to have fallen foul of Okada's axe, with Schalke-bound defender Atsuto Uchida another left out in the cold during the chilly South African winter, as veteran Yuichi Komano is preferred on the right-hand side of defence. Komano is a part of a back four rippling with experience, and many critics believe that towering stoppers Marcus Tulio Tanaka and Yuji Nakazawa have been arguably the stand-out central defensive partnership in this year's tournament. The pair will need to display all their renowned fighting spirit to keep an impressive looking Paraguay attack at bay, and if Manchester City star Roque Santa Cruz isn't a formidable enough opponent, the South Americans also have Borussia Dortmund strikers Nelson Valdez and Lucas Barrios to call upon. Like their opponents, Paraguay have never reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, so history will be made come the full-time whistle at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Takeshi Okada won't want to be reaching for the plough just yet, and he is confident that his side can conjure another unexpected victory, as Japan's enigmatic coach looks to continue his surprising renaissance at the helm of the national team. Copyright © Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J. League News Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters World Cup football

FIFA president Sepp Blatter today said he had apologised to the Football Association over Frank Lampard's disallowed 'goal' and revealed the governing body would l

Japan and Paraguay go head to head for their first ever quarter final appearance this afternoon, while Cristiano Ronaldo faces down some familiar foes as his Portugal side tak

PARAGUAY progressed through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time in their history after beating Japan in a penalty shoot-out in Pretoria.

On Tuesday Spain thrashed Portugal 1-0. In the Iberian derby Carlos Queiroz's side were given a hiding in almost every department except the scoreline. The Spanish have not been wholly convincing in the tournament so far, but in the second-half we were treated to a feast of tiki-taka. This is the name given to a style of play based on reaching the goal through short passes and movement. Read more... Spain Hit Stride Against Negative Portugal originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at 17:34:05.