Polokwane: Paraguay qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup despite being held to a goalless draw by a well-organised New Zealand in their Group F match on Thursday.
New Zealand were eliminated after three draws but had the satisfaction of finishing higher than holders Italy who also went out after losing 3-2 to Slovakia and finished bottom.
Paraguay's coach Gerardo Martino was pleased to get through to the second round but unhappy with his side's performance.
"We played very badly in the first half and we played better in the second half," he said after the match.
"I'm pleased with the qualification but not with the way we played. We had a lot of problems in an area where we didn't expect, and that was in attack."
Image:New Zealand's Simon Elliott, left, competes for the ball with Paraguay's Victor Caceres, right
Text: Reuters
Images: AP
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