Australia booked their place in the round of 32 at the World Cup after a 0-0 draw with Paraguay at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

Tony Popovic's side looked more likely to score in the Group D finale, producing 0.58 expected goals from 12 shots to Paraguay's 0.25 xG from seven attempts, but both teams settled for a point, which also all but guarantees Paraguay a place in the knockout rounds.

Australia looked the more threatening in the first half and could have gone ahead inside four minutes, but Jackson Irvine saw his strike saved at the near post by Orlando Gill before Aiden O'Neill failed to test the goalkeeper from distance.

Cristian Volpato was a constant threat and almost gave Australia the lead on the stroke of half-time, though his shot was parried away by Gill as Paraguay, who had just one shot before the break, struggled to mount any pressure of their own.

Paraguay started the second half on the front foot as Juan Jose Caceres, Andres Cubas and Mauricio all recorded shots inside the first five minutes of the restart, but only the latter was able to trouble Patrick Beach.

Neither side seemed willing to risk losing in search of three points, but both created late opportunities as Julio Enciso fired wide from range before Tete Yengi could not get enough power behind his shot in the 93rd minute.

Job done for Australia, almost there for Paraguay

It was not the most exciting match, highlighted by the combined 0.83 xG, the lowest of any game at the tournament so far, but Australia have qualified for the next round, where they could face Egypt, Belgium, Iran or even neighbours New Zealand.

Paraguay, meanwhile, are currently the fourth-best third-placed team after winning four points from their three group matches, giving them a very strong chance of reaching the last 32, where they are likely to face Germany.

Gill played his part in the draw, making five saves on his way to another clean sheet, but Enciso struggled to make an impact at the other end, completing just two of his 11 attempted dribbles and failing to create a chance or get a shot on target.

Jordan Bos proved to be a thorn in Paraguay's side, registering the most shots of any player (three), creating the joint-most chances (three, level with Volpato), completing the most dribbles (4/7) and winning the most duels (16/27), including seven of his nine aerial battles.