COPA AMERICA 2011 FINAL Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina URUGUAY 3 : 0 PARAGUAY Suarez 12', Forlan 42', 89' Uruguay won the Copa America by a canter this afternoon to confirm themselves as undisputed champions of South America, a record 15th victory for Las Charruas. A skillful early strike from Luis Suarez set them on the road to victory and a brace from another sharp marksman Diego Forlan made it sure. From early on it was clear that the World Cup semi-finalists were the better team. Paraguay, who curiously had reached the final without winning a game, found themselves on the back foot in the 12th minute. Suarez's quick feet allowed him to nip inside his marker and rifle a shot into the far corner to give Las Charruas the lead. Uruguay doubled their lead four minutes before the break when Forlan finished off a zig-zagging move after stealing the ball in Paraguay's last third. Two down at the interval, Paraguay had to come out and play and managed to hit the crossbar through Nelson Valdez in the 54th minute, but they could not make inroads. Then the arrival of substitute Edinson Cavani in the Uruguayan attack just after the hour reminded us which team had more talent to call upon. Paraguay pushed upfield and had plenty of play in Uruguay's last third, but had a wall of sky-blue shirts in front of them. Pablo Zeballos had a decent penalty appeal waved away in the 70th minute, which might have let his team back into the game. But as the minutes ticked away and Paraguay maintained their siege without penetration, the risk of counter-attacks grew bigger. One such raid a minute from time saw Forlan, that exquisite finisher, find the net again to complete a comprehensive victory. In winning the Copa America for the first time since 1995, Uruguay also qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil. Peru won third place, defeating Venezuela 4-1. Peru's Pablo Guerrero finished top scorer of the tournament with five goals, one more than Suarez. URU - Muslera, M. Pereira, Lugano, Coates, J. Caceres (Godin 88'), Gonzalez, D.Perez (Eguren 69'), Rios, A. Pereira (Cavani 63'), Forlan, Suarez PAR - Villar, Piris, Da Silva, Veron, Marecos, Vera ( Estigarribia 64') , Ortigoza, V. Caceres (H.Perez 64'), Riveros, Valdez, Zeballos (Barrios 76') (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters Euro 2012 football

In the end, interim Japan coach Hiromi Hara's greatest concern was whether it might be too hot to wear a tie on the touchline. The former Urawa Reds and FC Tokyo coach and current Japan Football Association technical director ultimately opted for a snappy grey number, and he had every reason to be relaxed going into Japan's Kirin Cup clash with Paraguay at a sold-out Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. Hara took charge on a caretaker basis for the two-match series against Paraguay and Guatemala, however Alberto Zaccheroni was the real star of the show after it was revealed late last month that he would take over as Japan's new coach. Visa constraints forced Zaccheroni to watch the clash with Paraguay from high in the stands along with 65,157 fans on a hot evening in the famous port city, and the Italian will have been delighted with what he saw as a goal from Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa fired Japan to an entertaining 1-0 victory. The match was a rematch of Japan's heartbreaking Round of 16 penalty shoot-out defeat to Paraguay at the recent World Cup, and Samurai Blue fans must be wondering why Kagawa did not travel to South Africa after he turned in a virtuoso display in midfield. The 21-year-old scored the only goal of the game following an incisive pass from playmaker Kengo Nakamura, who threaded an inch-perfect ball into the path of the on-rushing Kagawa, and he took one touch before firing an unerring finish beyond Justo Villar in the Paraguayan goal. The slightly-built ex-Cerezo Osaka star wasn't the only Japanese player in good form, as Lierse SK goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima pulled off a series of impressive saves to deny the powerful Paraguay attack. The display left Zaccheroni beaming as Japan's fluid one-touch football thrilled the capacity crowd on hand, although the ease with which Paraguay ploughed through a porous back four will nevertheless give the much-travelled tactician some cause for concern. Japan's next Kirin Cup clash is against Central American minnows Guatemala at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Tuesday night, and with the feel-good factor having returned to Japanese football following their surprise showing in South Africa, officials can expect another big crowd to turn out for the affable Hara's second and final match in charge. Copyright © Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters World Cup football

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

You may not think that a match in Seoul against Paraguay on Wednesday marks the start of the road to the 2010 World Cup for South Korea but it does. It is the first of what will amount to close to 20 preparation games for the Taeguk Warriors as they set their sights on South Africa. Everything is now geared towards next June. Unlike most Asian nations, the Koreans don’t even have to worry about qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup - that spot was clinched automatically after third place at the 2007 version. Coach Huh Jung-moo just has to think globally. The game against Paraguay marks the first non-Asian opposition for the team since January 2008 – the first game of Huh’s reign. That match against the headline-writer’s dream that is Chile, was also the first and, to date, only loss that the team has suffered under the grizzled tactician.