Paraguay 0 Japan 0: History made as Paraguay see off Japan in shoot-out

Paraguay progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time after beating Japan on penalties following a goalless draw in Pretoria.

The victory was reportedly greeted with a party atmosphere in the streets back in Paraguay, and Martino revealed his side were enjoying being part of those celebrations.

"Obviously we are having a party, we're celebrating together with the rest of the people of Paraguay," he said.

"I can imagine the happiness of the people there, and of course let them enjoy it.

"I've seen the players make a huge effort. It was a very close match and of course now we celebrate the fact we're in the quarter-finals."

It needed the first shoot-out of the 2010 World Cup to separate the two nations and it was Paraguay who emerged victorious after Japan defender Yuichi Komano, looking to make it 3-3, slammed his effort against the crossbar.

That proved to be the crucial miss as Paraguay scored all five of their efforts, with Oscar Cardozo casually slotting home the winning spot-kick to send his team wild.

It was of little surprise to see the game deadlocked at the end of extra-time, with neither side having been prolific scorers in qualifying for the last 16.

For Japan coach Takeshi Okada, it was a disappointing finale to what might have been his last game as he took responsibility for his side's exit.

"In terms of how we played I have no regrets at all," he said.

"The players were really wonderful and they've been truly proud of being Japanese and representing Asia. I'm proud of them.

"I couldn't make them win, that's my responsibility. I didn't get my emotion across and didn't make them eager enough. It wasn't enough on my part."