Paraguay coach Martino sheds tears after passage to quarter-final

By Samm Audu Jun 29, 2010, 19:48 GMT

Pretoria - Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino admitted he wept Tuesday when his team booked a first-ever quarter-final ticket at the World Cup after a tense penalty shootout against Japan.

'We have made a huge effort and the tension has been released and at such a time, so many things go through your mind. That was the reason for the tears,' Martino said.

The Argentina-born Martino dropped his guard after Paraguay edged past Japan 5-3 on penalties. Both teams had failed to score during 120 minutes of play in their Round of 16 match at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

'For such matches, there's always a lot of fear, a lot of tension. There was then the extra-time and then the penalties and everybody knows that it is unfair that a game be decided on penalties,' Martino said.

Martino reckoned tension may have blocked previous Paraguay teams from progressing further at the World Cup.

'Paraguay may possibly have suffered from this tension for so many years. But they also faced tougher opponents than Japan in previous Round of 16 matches like France and Germany,' said the 47-year-old coach from Rosario in Argentina.

The Lions of Guarani lost out in the Round of 16 at the 1986, 1998 and 2002 editions of the World Cup.

'We had the will to make the history books, but neither the winners nor the losers have anything to be ashamed of.'

Of the game that consigned his name to the Paraguayan history books, he said : 'It was a tight game ... we played with our hearts, and sometimes that is enough for such a game.

Paraguay will meet the winner of Tuesday's late Round of 16 match between Spain and Portugal.

In the meantime, 'we are having a party with the rest of the people of Paraguay,' Martino said.