The first match of this World Cup to be decided on a penalty shoot-out was just about the most forgettable. Whoever won at the Loftus Versfeld would make a World Cup final for the first time in their history. The pressure told and when Benfica’s Oscar Cardozo drove in the winning penalty his manager, Gerardo Martino, burst into tears. Neither team had played with Japan far too willing to rely on weak counter-attacks and the reactions of their goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima to stay in the match. The shoot out, decided when Yuichi Komano struck the crossbar, completed a remarkable run for South American sides. Four of the five that entered the World Cup were still standing and the only one that had been eliminated – Chile – was knocked out by Brazil. “South America is peaking” said Martino. Yes, but Spain, who lie in wait in Johannesburg will be white hot favourites to reduce the number to three.