Friday, July 16, 2010

Diego Forlan wins Golden Ball

Following Spain's 2010 World Cup final triumph over the Netherlands, Uruguay striker Diego Forlan picked up the Golden Ball award while young Germany forward Thomas Mueller took the Best Young Player accolade as well as the Golden Boot.

Atletico Madrid attacker Forlan proved to be one of the star performers in South Africa, beating off competition from the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Spain hitman David Villa to be crowned the tournament's best player - as voted for by the media.

Forlan was, however, pipped to the post when it came to the Golden Boot, with Thomas Mueller's five goals and three assists for Germany edging him ahead of Silver Boot winner Villa and Holland playmaker Sneijder who picked up the bronze award.

Mueller also claimed the Best Young Player gong for his impressive performances in South Africa, beating both Ghana's Andre Ayew and Mexico's Giovanni Dos Santos to claim the prize.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who made a string of impressive saves in Spain's 1-0 final victory over the Netherlands, claimed the Golden Glove while Vicente del Bosque's side were again recognised with the Fair Play Award.

Spain the FIFA World Cup Champions

Spain are champions of the world after Andres Iniesta's goal deep into extra-time gave them victory over Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final at Soccer City following a goalless first 117 minutes.
Iniesta netted as Spain broke to punish 10-man Holland after John Heitinga's sending-off seven minutes earlier.
Both sides lined up as expected: Netherlands continued with the first 11 which has been Bert van Marwijk’s choice lineup since Arjen Robben’s return from injury, while Vicente Del Bosque favoured Barcelona’s Pedro over Liverpool’s Fernando Torres just as he had for the semi-final victory over Germany.
At the national anthems were belted out there were signs of nerves on the faces of players on each side; everyone concerned knowing that they could make history for their country by claiming the title of world champions for the first time.

The opening few minutes were notable mainly for the inability of either side to really string a significant series of passes together as every player looked to get a calming first touch of the ball. But in the fifth minute Spain created a real opportunity for themselves as they started to stamp their authority on proceedings.

Xavi sent a free-kick in from the right to find Sergio Ramos, who had gained half a yard on Robin van Persie, but the right-back’s header came from an awkward height and allowed Maarten Stekelenburg to make a full-length parry to keep the scores level.

Holland’s first shot at goal came when Dirk Kuyt scuffed a 30-yard effort after Sergio Busquets had failed to control a simple square pass, and the Liverpool wide man’s effort was easily gathered by Iker Casillas.

In the 11th minute Spain created a second decent opportunity, and again it was full-back Ramos who was the Johnny on the spot. Having run at Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he took a step to the right and saw a gap open up, but his right-footed effort was well blocked by Joris Mathijsen.

From the resulting corner Xabi Alonso swung in a delicious far post ball for David Villa, but the striker’s volleyed effort hit the side-netting when he’d have hoped to do better.

The game was beginning to get a little scrappy as the Netherlands looked to find a way to earn more possession. Van Persie was the first player to enter referee Howard Webb’s notebook when he brought down Joan Capdevila with a nasty looking challenge, and moments later he was followed by Carles Puyol, booked for a tackle from behind on Arjen Robben.

Wesley Sneijder fired in a dangerous free-kick, but Casillas managed to collect before the ball took a potentially nasty bounce. Winger Robben was temporarily the centre of attention as within minutes he was running at Capdevila, eventually winning a corner as Alonso came in to cover.

The near-inevitable Mark van Bommel booking arrived in the 22nd minute, when he was late arriving for the ball and went right through Andres Iniesta. Seconds later it was 2-2 on the yellow card count after Ramos was slightly late sliding in on Kuyt wide on the Holland left.

Whilst Spain were still enjoying most of the possession, suddenly the Netherlands were managing to earn more territorial advantage, breaking up the rhythm of la Furia Roja’s passing temporarily. They did so by foul means rather than fair when Nigel de Jong’s high boot caught Alonso flush on the chest after the Real Madrid midfielder had nicked away a bouncing ball. The Oranje midfielder may have thought himself lucky only to become the fifth player cautioned, rather than the first man into the showers.

There was a much more pleasing piece of sportsmanship shown by the Dutch a few moments later. Iker Casillas had thrown the ball out after he’d collided with Puyol, allowing the Barcelona defender to receive treatment, but upon arrival of the long pass from a Dutchman at the restart, the keeper misread the flight and palm the ball away for a corner. However, van Persie simply rolled the ball in from the flag to spare the Real Madrid man’s blushes and allow Spain to rebuild from the back.

The next Dutch corner nearly had a very different ending. Robben played the ball in low to the edge of the area, from where van Bommel played a cross to the far post for Mathijsen, but the centre-back could only respond with a complete air shot.

Breaking up the other end, Spain could have had an opener when Pedro’s quickfire shot from range sailed just wide with Stekelenburg still to set himself.

Sneijder almost became the sixth name in the book when he caught Busquets just before the break as the game continued to flatter rather than thrill, but referee Webb saw fit to give the Inter midfielder a final warning.

On the stroke of half-time the Dutch created one of the best chances of the game so far when Robben cut inside to drill a low left foot shot which Casillas got down to and pushed wide.

Spain appeared to come out after the interval with a little bit more fire in their bellies as they looked to repeat their second half efforts against Germany. Within three minutes they’d forged an opening when Puyol got his head to a right wing corner and Capdevila failed to get anywhere near enough on his right foot effort and the ball ran harmlessly away.

The Dutch responded when Van Persie’s backheel sent Gregory van der Wiel in behind the Spanish defence, but his cross was met by no Oranje jerseys, though a nervous looking Casillas may have got a slight touch before the ball ran out and a goal kick was given.

Dutch skipper Van Bronckhorst was next in the book for pulling back Ramos as he went for a return pass in a dangerous position. From the set piece Xavi curled the ball just wide of the near post, but Stekelenburg had it well covered.

John Heitinga soon became the fifth Dutchman to have his name taken when he clattered into David Villa after Ramos had broken up a Holland attack and sent the forward on the run down the left.

Iniesta was perhaps lucky not to join them as the game once again threatened to deteriorate, his foul on Sneijder giving Robben the chance to swing in a free-kick towards Heitinga. The defender sent a header just across the face of goal, but had been flagged offside in any case.

Mathijsen did well to head away from a Capdevila cross as a game of football finally started to break out amongst the scrappy challenges.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque made the first change of the final on the hour by introducing Jesus Navas for the ineffective Pedro.

Suddenly, the best chance of the final was handed to Robben by a delicious through ball by Sneijder and a bad misjudgement on the part of Gerard Pique. The Bayern Munich winger found himself one-on-one with Casillas, but after delaying once too often, his shot sent the keeper the wrong way, but was blocked by Casillas’ boot.

Capdevila joined the ever-increasing list of numbers in Howard Webb’s notebook but again the Netherlands failed to make the most of the resulting free-kick as they continued to get half-chances to show up the favourites.

Substitute Navas did superbly to run at van Bronckhorst and make space to cross for David Villa, but after Heitinga had slipped to open a really shooting opportunity for the Spaniard the centre-back recovered magnificently to block the shot that followed.

Dirk Kuyt was replaced after a hard-working performance in favour of speedy winger Eljero Elia as Van Marwijk looked to keep Spain guessing at the back.

Heitinga conceded a further free-kick, which Villa could only tun over, before Sneijder got a second final warning from Howard Webb as the referee looked to save his ink with just 15 minutes separating the World Cup decider from extra-time.

After an excellent exchange between Villa and Xavi, the former had a left foot shot well blocked by Heitinga, but from the corner Sergio Ramos was guilty of wasting a magnificent chance to settle the contest as he headed over from eight yards when completely unmarked.

There was a real flashpoint in the 78th minute when Van Bommel caught Iniesta as he retrieved the ball, but the Spanish midfielder decided to take his own retribution by lashing out at the Bayern Munich man. Again, Webb decided that leniency was the correct course of action and Iniesta got away with only a lecture.

Iniesta then came extremely close to opening the deadlock when he jinked past Heitinga inside the box, but Wesley Sneijder of all people was sweeping up behind the defence and made a magnificent last-ditch challenge to save the Dutch.

In the 83rd minute it was Holland’s Robben who could have struck as he left Puyol and Pique in his wake before Casillas smothered the ball. The Bayern Munich winger exaggerated his contact with the keeper having shrugged off a near rugby tackle from Puyol, but all he succeeded in doing was earning a yellow card for his fall and subsequent penalty claims.

Spain’s second substitution saw Alonso replaced by Cesc Fabregas in an attacking change with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

Wesley Sneijder looked to steal a glorious victory on the stroke of full-time, but his ambitious 45 yard effort went harmlessly wide and the game went into extra time.

Within two minutes of the extra 30 minutes resuming, Spain thought they should have had a penalty when Heitinga and Xavi collided, but it looked as though the midfielder made contact with the Dutchman rather than the other way around.

The European champions then forced a real save out of Stekelenburg for the first time since the early moments of normal time as Fabregas broke clear, but the big goalkeeper did superbly to block his right foot shot.

Within seconds they were nearly behind when Casillas came for a corner and collided with Fabregas, leaving Mathijsen to beat Ramos in the air but miss the open goal.

It then took a magnificent piece of defending from van Bronckhorst to keep the scores level as the game became more stretched. Fabregas sent Iniesta through, but the Dutch skipper did brilliantly to send the Barca man onto his wrong foot and then snuff out the danger, winning a goal kick to boot.

Bert van Marwijk decided to increase the attacking intentions of his team by bringing on Rafael van der Vaart for defensive midfielder De Jong.

In a now very open game, Jesus Navas’ shot deflected off Van Bronckhorst and found the side-netting before the Netherlands cleared the corner with relative ease.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was then substituted into retirement, replaced by Edson Braafheid.

After spending over an hour warming up, Fernando Torres was finally introduced at the beginning of the second period of extra-time, surprisingly enough for the tournament’s joint top scorer David Villa in a like for like switch.

Elia went on his first attack at Ramos and beat the full-back with ease, but couldn’t reach his overhit touch before getting a cross in as the Netherlands continued to look the more worried by the prospect of penalty kicks.

After so many yellow cards it appeared only a matter of time before a red would follow and with only 11 minutes remaining it finally came, though it did seem a little harsh on John Heitinga when he became the fifth player to be dismissed in a World Cup final.

The Dutch defender laid a hand on the shoulder of Andres Iniesta as the Barcelona man broke forward and Howard Webb saw fit to send off Heitinga for a second offence.

Moments later the 10 men were hit with another yellow when van der Wiel took down the self same Iniesta.

Many Spain players asked for Holland to be reduced to nine when Robben turned in a left foot effort long after the whistle had gone for offside, but Webb, not for the first time tonight, showed leniency towards a man walking the tightrope.

With five minutes left a Wesley Sneijder free-kick was clearly met with a heavy deflection off Fabregas in the wall, but the referee’s rough night continued when he failed to spot the touch and gave a goal kick. There was then an apparent foul on Elia on the edge of the area overlooked as Holland looked for a winner.

And the decision was to be vital as Spain broke to the other end of the pitch and scored a 116th minute winner. With the 10-man Dutch stretched, the Furia Roja used the extra man as Andres Iniesta got on the end of a Fabregas pass at the far post to drill across Stekelenburg into the back of the net. He removed his shirt to reveal a message to former Espanyol defender Dani Jarque, who died of a heart attack last year.

Spain's only bad news of the night came when Torres pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury in the second minute of injury time, but he'll be taking a World Cup winner's medal to the treatment table with him.

Germany takes third place

Germany have grabbed third place at the 2010 World Cup, claiming the bronze medal position after a fine 3-2 win over Uruguay.

Die Mannschaft impressed early and moved ahead thanks to a predatory strike from Thomas Mueller but Edinson Cavani had tied the scores by the interval. The Celeste turned the game on its head when Diego Forlan’s well-taken volley found the net but their lead was also short lived, with Marcell Jansen levelling matters. Sami Khedira won the game with a header in the twilight of a fine fixture.

Traditionally the third place playoff is one of the most exciting games of the World Cup, and both sides showed early enterprise in Nelson Mandela Bay.

As early as the third minute Thomas Mueller would have the ball in the Uruguayan net, poking home from 18 yards, though his goal was disallowed for an earlier infringement committed by Cacau, who had been drafted into the team to replace the flu-ridden Miroslav Klose.


Moments later a rash challenge by another newcomer to the Europeans’ starting XI, Dennis Aogo, was lucky to escape with only a caution when he clattered into Diego Perez high and late, leaving the Uruguayan hardman to receive treatment.

Diego Forlan was typically the first man in sky blue to threaten, sending a free kick a foot to the right of Hans-Joerg Butt’s goal.

But it was Germany who were making most of the early running, forcing Jorge Fucile and Diego Lugano into some desperate clearances. The South American defence was very nearly breached on ten minutes when a deep corner from Mesut Oezil was firmly headed against the bar by Arne Friedrich, with Fernando Muslera beaten. Mueller could not wrestle home the rebound.

The Bayern Munich man had better luck soon afterwards. A thunderous long range drive from Bastian Schweinsteiger was poorly dealt with by the Uruguayan custodian, who spilled the ball out into the middle of the box. Mueller reacted when others did not, giving himself a simple tap in from ten yards.

Die Mannschaft were at this stage creating regular inroads into the Celeste’s defence but wouldn’t even enjoy the lead for ten minutes.

Forlan had already worried the German rearguard with a blocked back post header from a deflected cross by the time Cavani drew the sides level. Perez superbly picked the pocket of Schweinsteiger in the centre of the park, setting in motion a break that saw the Europeans outnumbered from the outset. Luis Suarez, booed relentlessly by the South African crowd, rolled a well-weighted pass to the Palmero striker, who took a touch before stretching to prod the ball by Butt and into the net.

The closing stages of the opening period, which were played out under heavy rain, did not bring the drama of the opening moments, though Uruguay might have grabbed the lead four minutes before the break. Forlan’s clever reverse pass released Suarez but the Ajax striker dragged his shot wide from a somewhat awkward angle.

Right on the stroke of half-time, Cacau nearly latched onto a deflected Mueller pass, though Fucile covered superbly across to avert the danger.

Within three minutes of the restart Suarez had another disappointing miss. Cavani’s initial foray into the box was blocked by Butt, who could not hold the ball on the slick surface. From a tight angle, the forward recuperated possession and laid a pass back to his Amsterdam-based colleague. Still admittedly faced with a tight angle, the unpopular striker saw the flying goalkeeper touch his shot wide.

The wind was nevertheless in the Uruguayans’ sails and the South Americans would soon have the advantage. Arevalo Rios found himself uncharacteristically far forward down the right and lobbed a waist-high pass back towards the edge of the box, from where Forlan showed stunning poise to volley home a terrific goal with his right foot.

Germany had posed no serious threat after the interval until they levelled up on 55 minutes. Jerome Boateng’s cross from deep on the right side was badly missed by the out-of-sorts Muslera, allowing Jansen to unconventionally knock the ball into the empty net with his head.

From the ashes of these two quick fire goals grew a superb open game. Oezil dallied too long when well placed in the Uruguay box, but up at the other end the Celeste were causing Germany real issues.

A Suarez block had to be averted by a smart challenge. Undeterred, the Ajax man tried an effort from distance that was spectacularly blocked by Butt, who soon had to be sharp from his goal line to thwart the Golden Boot chasing Forlan.

Stefan Kiessling was introduced by Joachim Loew to add some attacking flair at the expense of Cacau. The Bayer Leverkusen man’s clever turn in the box with quarter of an hour brought with it a scoring chance, though his drive was straight at Muslera, who batted the ball uncomfortably clear.

Loew’s side were looking the more likely side to snatch third place, and they did just that with nine minutes remaining. Another deep Oezil corner was allowed to bounce about the six yard box. Khedira ultimately got the decisive touch, sending a clever header looping over Muslera and into the top corner of the net.

The latter stages of the game were typically fraught. Uruguay pushed men forward in increasing numbers, allowing Germany to counter with purpose. Boateng had a firm shot saved well by Muslera, before a fluid counter ended with Kiessling scooping the ball over from close range.

In additional time, Suarez won a free kick on the edge of the Germany box. Forlan hovered, but the magic was not there as he blasted against the bar.

Over the course of this campaign, both Germany and Uruguay can look back at their achievements with some pride, yet die Mannschaft’s attacking brand of football has really captured the imagination and for their enterprise over the course of the last month they deserve third.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Spain in the World Cup Final for the first time

Spain are through to face Holland in the World Cup final after a power-header from defender Carles Puyol was enough for the European champions to end the hopes of Joachim Loew’s Germany.
Both teams made one change from their regular line-up: Piotr Trochowski replaced the suspended Thomas Mueller for the Germans while out-of-form Fernando Torres was dropped in favour of Pedro Rodriguez in the Spanish side.

Germany kicked off but immediately and happily surrendered possession as they invited Spain to attack. The cagey opening was halted by an intruder streaking onto the pitch but it was the European champions who carved out the first real chance of the game on six minutes.

Pedro slipped in a sublime through ball to David Villa, who just managed to get a touch to it but it wasn’t enough to trouble an alert Manuel Neuer.

La Furia Roja continued to camp out inside the German half as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Oezil provided glimpses of threat on the counter-attack for Die Mannschaft. But it was the Spaniards again who had the next chance after 13 minutes. From a short corner, Andres Iniesta drilled in a cross from the right flank and Carles Puyol stooped low to send a bullet header just over the bar.

Straight to the other end, an Oezil corner forced Iker Casillas to flap the ball nervously away as Joachim Loew’s side started to enjoy a bit more of composure and possession on the ball. Spain regained control as quickly as they gave it away, although they failed to create any meaningful goalscoring chances.

In fact, the next opportunity didn’t arrive until the half-hour mark and even then, Xabi Alonso’s 25-yard screamer flew wide of Neuer’s left post. Trochowski then showed how it was done when his left-footed pile driver from a similar distance forced Casillas to make a brilliant sprawling save.

Oezil managed to create more panic in the Spain box when he shimmed past two defenders but hesitated when he prepared to pull the trigger as Puyol pinched the ball off him. Vicente del Bosque’s troops finished the half the stronger with Sergio Ramos, Iniesta and Pedro creating openings, but it was Oezil who had a penalty shout turned down right before the whistle after a challenge from Ramos.

Neither coaches made any changes of personnel at the break but it was Germany who looked the more adventurous side in the start of the second period. And it was suddenly Spain who were playing on the counter attack. Pedro bombarded 50 yards down the right wing beating a number of German defenders before pulling the ball back to Xabi Alonso, who could only fire wide despite a clean view on goal.

Seconds later, Xabi rattles in another humdinger just outside the box after being teed up by Xavi, but again his effort flashed marginally wide.

La Roja should have taken the lead on 57 minutes when they were presented with a double chance. First, Pedro’s shot on the edge of the box was parried away by Neuer. From the follow up, Iniesta’s pull-back into the middle bounced too far in front of Villa at the back post. Pedro then dragged his shot wide before Miroslav Klose pummelled an ambitious volley well over at the other end after a poor clearance from Sergio Ramos.

The flurry of chances sparked the game to life and on 63 minutes, Xabi Alonso curled in a cross to an over-lapping Ramos, who went down under a challenge from Lukas Podolski right infront of goal but the referee only pointed to a goal-kick. Five minutes later, Villa charged past Marcell Jansen on the right channel but his fierce drive from a tight angle was saved by Neuer.

Germany then came close when Toni Kroos connected with Podolski’s cross but his soft half volley at the far post was blocked by Casillas. The Nationalelf were on the ascendency but on 72 minutes, they were stung when Spain rocketed into the lead. Xavi swung in a corner and Carles Puyol steamed in unmarked to thump an unstoppable header past Neuer into the top corner.

The Germans immediately started pushing forward and it was Spain’s turn to hit their opponents on the counter. With ten minutes to go, La Roja should have wrapped up the semi-final when Pedro was put clean through on goal but opted to dribble his way past Arne Friedrich instead of going for goal or squaring to an unattended Fernando Torres.

Torres himself then had a chance two minutes from the end but Friedrich robbed the ball off him just as he was about to pull the trigger. Spain were enjoying a nice spell of keep-ball possession inside the German half as the clock ticked down and it was enough for them to hold on for another 1-0 win, but one that secures them a passage into the final of the 2010 World Cup.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Netherlands took a place in the World Cup Final

At full-time in Cape Town, the first of two semi-final clashes has ended 3-2 to the Netherlands. Gio van Bronckhorst's early long-ranger was cancelled out just before half-time by a similar effort from Uruguay's hero Diego Forlan. Second half goals from Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and a late strike from Maxi Pereira made for a truly enthralling encounter.

The South Americans were, of course, without the services of hand-ball hero/villain Luis Suarez and left-back Jorge Fucile through suspension. Nicolas Lodeiro would also miss out after injuring his foot against Ghana, while a knock picked up against Ghana meant Diego Lugano wouldn't start. The Dutch had to play without right-back Gregory van der Wiel and holding midfielder Nigel de Jong.

The first chance came after Wesley Sneijder swung the ball into the box, having picked it up after Arjen Robben's first attempt came off of Martin Caceres. Muslera's punch wasn't convincing, and the ball landed at the feet of Dirk Kuyt, about 15 yards from the back post. The Liverpool forward took a touch and struck straight for goal, but his shot sailed over the bar.

Both sides enjoyed some of the ball in the first 15 minutes, but it was certainly the Dutch who looked the more dangerous side with it. While Uruguay were adjudged to be offside on a few occasions and trying a couple shots from distance, pressure from the Oranje was causing the Celeste to look a little uncertain in their defending.

And the pressure would pay off. Sneijder passed the ball to his skipper, Gio van Brockhorst, who was skipping up from left-back. Who knows what possessed the captain to have a pop from 30-odd yards, but his sweetly struck shot drifted beautifully past Muslera, smacking off the inside of the woodwork before eventually ending up in the top corner of the Uruguayan goal. Holland had the advantage.

Caceres then became the villain just before the half-hour mark. His dangerous acrobatics on the edge of the area saw his boot come of the face of Demy de Zeeuw as he tried an audacious overhead kick. The Barca-owned full-back was shown a yellow card by the Uzbekistanian referee for dangerous play while de Zeeuw sent a search party out for his teeth.

Edinson Cavani, who was failing to really get himself into the game, found himself with the ball deep inside the Dutch box. The Palermo forward held onto the ball far too long, leaving an unmarked Alvaro Pereira fuming in the centre. Pereira was afforded a second chance through with just over five minutes left in the first half, but his tame shot was aimed straight at Stekelenberg.

Just as it looked as though the South Americans were destined for a plane home, none other than Diego Forlan stepped up to produce another little piece of Celeste magic. The Uruguayan talisman found the ball in a central position, at a similar distance to van Bronckhorst's goal – and the outcome was the same. Beating Skekelenburg, the stinging shot shook the top corner of the net and Oscar Tabarez's men found themselves back in the game just before half time.

Probably a little worse for wear, Demy de Zeeuw was hooked at half time and replaced by a more attacking figure in Real Madrid's Rafael van der Vaart. Immediately the Dutch made it clear that they wanted an early second-half goal as they shot down the left. Some tense build-up would come to an abrupt end, though, as the linesman's flag rose for offside.

The Netherlands were soon to suffer a scare of their own, however, as a pass played in for Cavani prompted Stekelenburg to run out and meet the ball. The Ajax 'keeper misjudged the distance though, and Cavani was able to chip the ball over the goalie before hitting the ground from the challenge. Pereira was there to lap up the loose ball and strike towards goal, but van Bronckhorst added to his heroic reputation by heading the ball away from the otherwise empty goal.

There was certainly no clear winner in terms of game dictation midway through the second half. Pressure from Uruguay won a free kick in a similar position to where Forlan buried a dead ball against Ghana. The set-piece forced a wonderful save from Stekelenburg though, who was all too happy to receive the praises of his teammates. At the other end, Holland were carving out plenty of chances of their own.


It was only a matter of time before one of the sides took one of their many chances, and it was Wesley Sneijder who did so for the Dutch as he has done so often already. A strike from outside of the box seemed too fast for anyone to do anything about, and the ball rocketed low and hard into the bottom right corner of Muslera's goal. There was a hint of controversy though as van Persie, who did swipe at the ball in vain, seemed to be in an offside position. The linesman let it stand though, and the Dutch went ahead again.

Just minutes later the Oranje struck again. A well worked piece of play saw Dirk Kuyt stretch the South American defence as he took off down the left. A perfectly weighted cross met the head of an onrushing Robben, whose simple nod was enough to put the ball past Muslera once more and take the score to 3-1.

In a game that really looked like it could have gone either way before the third goal was scored, the cushion of a brace truly handed the reins of the game over to the Dutch. They began to see the final few minutes of the game out in an incredibly relaxed fashion, and with the talismanic Forlan being subbed off for Sebastian Abreu, the match was all but over for their opponents.

In the first minute of an added three, Maxi Pereira clawed one back for the Celeste. Belting the ball goalwards after a Uruguayan free-kick hung around the box, the Benfica defender's left-footed shot went past Stekelenburg and into the Dutch goalkeeper's net. It was not enough for the South Americans though, as the referee blew the whistle for full-time soon afterwards, allowing the Netherlands safe passage into the 2010 World Cup final.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Spain 1-0 Paraguay

Spain edged past Paraguay on a cool, damp evening in Johannesburg. After either side missed a penalty early in the second half, David Villa netted a late winner for the Spaniards, who for the first time, have advanced to the semifinals.

Having scraped by Japan in penalties just four days ago, Paraguay entered tonight's match fatigued and in need of a few changes. Coach Geraldo Martino swapped six members of his previous starting XI, notably replacing forwards Roque Santa Cruz, Edgar Benitez, and Lucas Barrios with Nelson Valdez and Oscar Cardozo, who started as attackers in a 4-4-2 formation.

Vicente Del Bosque's Spain also narrowly qualified for the quarter-finals, but the coach opted to retain the entire starting line-up that featured in a 1-0 win over Portugal. Despite having a good run-out in the second half, Fernando Llorente failed to earn a starting role ahead of faltering striker Fernando Torres.

From the opening kick-off, Paraguay pressed their opponents high up the pitch. Jonathan Santana first tested Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas after 50 seconds, but his shot was rather weak and lacked enough accuracy to beat the Real Madrid man.

Paraguay played with a downright frenetic work rate, and for the most part, kept la Furia Roja from playing in the centre of the park. Strikers Torres, and in particular, David Villa, were forced to play out wide in order to receive service.

Much of the opening half hour was marked by poor distribution, poorer individual defending, and even worse finishing. The normally precise distributors Gerard Pique and Xabi Alonso were uncharacteristically wayward in their passing, and Paraguayan midfielders Cristian Riveros and Paulo da Silva made a pair of howlers.

Eventually, Del Bosque's men settled into their smooth passing game, and while the likes of Torres and Villa were able to beat their markers on the flanks, they had no options available in the penalty area. Their best chance of the first half was a looping volley from Xavi that missed over the bar.

To their benefit, the Spaniards were able to keep the opponents on their heels. After Santana's initial effort, Paraguay managed to break forward only once, but Claudio Morel's cross was just too strong to fall to Santana's head.

Five minutes before the half-time break, Paraguay should have taken the lead. Following a cross from the right side, Nelson Valdez chested the ball down and finished well, but was ruled offside. Replays showed that the Dortmund forward was kept onside by Pique, but the whistle came to Spain's rescue.

Highlights Paraguay vs Spain

Perry | MySpace Video

At the end of the first half, Paraguay were surely disappointed not to have taken the lead, but could be pleased with the result. Spain, by contrast, were surely let down by their lack of clear chances on goal.

At the start of the second half, play resumed as it had ended in the first half. No changes were made, and the relentless defensive work of Paraguay forced giveaways.
Del Bosque responded by bringing in Cesc Fabregas in place of Torres, in an attempt to pack the midfield. Seconds later, referee Carlos Batres made a game-changing decision. Following a corner kick, the referee awarded Paraguay a penalty after Pique dragged down Cardozo. The Paraguayan striker stepped up to the spot, but had his kick saved by Casillas in the lower-right corner of goal.
Moments later, Villa was played through on goal, and earned a penalty as Antolin Alcaraz pulled him down. Xabi Alonso netted from the spot kick, but the referee signaled a re-take due to encroachment. On take two, goalkeeper Justo Villar parried to his left and appeared to foul Cesc Fabregas before Sergio Ramos' follow-up was cleared off the line.
Towards the end of regulation, Spain finally began to attack with width, but appeared more sluggish than before. The game seemed destined for extra time before, all of a sudden, Villa netted his fifth goal of the tournament. Andres Iniesta burst to the edge of the penalty area before teeing up substitute Pedro, whose shot beat Villar, but clanged off the left post. Villa was first to the rebound, and curled his follow-up off the inside of the right post.
Paraguay were uninterested in exiting the tournament without a fight. Striker Lucas Barrios came off the bench to inject a sense of urgnecy into the Paraguayan attack, and with two minutes left, the Dortmund striker fired a blast that Casillas could only bobble. Substitute Roque Santa Cruz was first to the ball, but Casillas heroically blocked his effort.
At the other end, Villa had a chance to put the game to rest, but Villar made a terrific save to preserve a chance for Paraguay, but it was all in vain. Spain maintained possession exceptionally throughout injury time, and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in their history.

Germany 4-0 Argentina

Germany hammered Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup on a gorgeous afternoon in Cape Town. Thomas Mueller opened the scoring for die Mannschaft after just three minutes, and Germany took second half goals from Miroslav Klose (68, 89), and Arne Friedrich (74) to round off their comprehensive victory.

Following emphatic wins in the Round of 16, coaches Diego Maradona and Joachim Loew named unchanged lineups. There had been fitness concerns for Argentine forward Lionel Messi and German winger Lukas Podolski, but the pair were declared ready to play from the start.

For Argentina, Gabriel Heinze and Javier Mascherano entered the game just a yellow card away from missing out on a possible semifinal berth. The Germans had to be more careful, with Arne Friedrich, Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Oezil, Thomas Mueller, Philipp Lahm, and substitute Cacau all set to earn suspensions in the event of a booking.

Argentina kicked off the match and were faced by a high-intesity, pressing German machine that could not have started the match better. After just three minutes, Lukas Podolski won a free kick from Nicolas Otamendi. Schweinsteiger delivered a gorgeous cross to Mueller, who beat Otamendi to the ball and nodded home the opening goal, his fourth of the tournament.

After the opener, Argentina found it difficult to move fluently forward. The entire German team dropped back to deny their opponents space to pass, and were quick to exploit a rather exposed Argentine defence. With Mascherano the only buffer for his team's centre halves, the Germans created and used space in the centre of the park.

After spending the majority of the opening ten minutes on their heels, the Argentines settled in. Their pace and runs up front were difficult to cover, and Messi, Carlos Tevez, and Gonzalo Higuain linked well in the build-up.

Still, the Germans seemed to always have the ability to recover and make the necessary, last-minute intervention. In the opening half hour, the best chance the Albicelestes created was a through ball from Messi that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was able to collect just ahead of Tevez.

While Argentina had trouble creating goal-scoring opportunities, the Germans were next to threaten to score. In the 24th minute, Mueller pounced on a deflected ball, and burst into the penalty area before squaring for Miroslav Klose, who looped his first-time effort over the bar. Six minutes later, Podolski unleashed a long-ranged effort that flashed just wide of the right post.

Late in the first half, Argentina finally began to look a threat in front of goal. Angel di Maria, who began the game as a left winger, found space to attack on the right side, but had his low shot saved by Neuer. Not long thereafter, Higuain had a similar effort stopped.

After 36 minutes, Maradona's men thought they had equalised, but the play was called back. After Mueller was carded for a hand ball, Higuain slotted home from a through ball from the ensuing freekick, but was adjudged to have done so from an offside position.

The game began to stretch in the final moments of the first half, and while Messi regularly found the ball at the top of the German penalty area, he was always closed down and never had a clear view of goal. Mueller had a chance to double the Germans' advantage late in the half, but had his close-ranged effort blocked.

At the end of a rousing first half, Germany entered the tunnel with a well-deserved, albeit slim, advantage. Argentina looked good in spells, but needed much more in order to advance to the semifinals.

[Goora&Real] Argentina vs Germany

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The second half began with both teams unchanged, and Argentina pinning their oponents back in their own half. Di Maria struck a scorcher wide of the left post early on, but it did not take long for play to stretch over the length of the pitch.

As in the first half, Messi found himself having to drop very deep to retrieve the ball, and Germany used a very high offside trap. Argentina managed to breach their opponents' back line on multiple occasions, but a timely intervention from Per Mertesacker's face denied Tevez a shot on goal.

Towards the hour mark, the game shifted into a new gear. Back and forth the teams sprinted, but neither could create a clear goal-scoring opportunity. The sheer pace left both sides visibly fatigued, but favoured the seemingly fitter Germans, who bested their opponents in transition.

Whereas Argentina often had to settle for shots from outside the box, the Germans showed enough mettle to double their advantage. Once again, the impressive Mueller was at the centre of the play. As he appeared to be felled by Martin Demichelis, the 20-year old attacker managed to turn and pass through to the wide-open Podolski. With just goalkeeper Sergio Romero to beat, the Koeln striker squared for Klose, who tapped his 13th World Cup goal into an open net.

After going two goals behind, Maradona had to roll the dice, and opted to bring on attacking midfielder Javier Pastore to replace Otamendi, who by the time of his substitution, was on his final warning.

Unfortunately for the Albicelestes, they had no time to develop a comeback before Germany struck yet again. After a short corner kick, Schweinsteiger was given a free path to the byline, wherefrom he centered to Friedrich, who scored his first international goal with a tap-in.

With the score at 3-0 and a quarter hour left, the game was effectively ended as a contest. Argentina sought a consolation goal, but were fatigued and had to be more concerned with the prospect of giving up a fourth goal. Loew brought on substitutes Toni Kroos and Piotr Trochowski to protect the card-bearing Mueller and Khedira, and still, the Germans were able to use team defending to thwart their opponents.

As icing on the cake, Klose completed his brace in the 89th minute, finishing coolly from Oezil's cross.

The final result sends Argentina home on a bitter note, while Germany head into their semi-finals task without the suspended Mueller, but with a massive confidence boost.

Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (4-2 Pens)

Uruguay progressed to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup by beating Ghana in a penalty shoot-out. Asamoah Gyan had a chance to be the hero for the Black Stars in the final minute of the second half of extra-time but sent his spot-kick crashing off the crossbar after Luis Suarez was shown a red card for using his hands to stop Stephen Appiah's header off the goal-line.
Gyan's miss set up a tense penalty shoot-out where Sebastian Abreu's cheeky chip sent Uruguay into the semi-finals after both John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah missed from 12-yards away.
Sulley Muntari gave the Africans a well worked lead late in the first half, but Diego Forlan equalised soon after the break with a wonderfully struck free-kick from just outside the area.
Three of Uruguay's back four went into the game with yellow cards. Ghana, meanwhile, were without midfielder Andre Ayew and Udinese defender Jonathan Mensah. Anthony Annan and Isaac Vorsah both entered the clash with cautions from previous games.
Ghana got kicked off proceedings, shooting right to left, but it was Uruguay who started to put the passes together in the first few minutes of the game. A speculative long-ball from Jorge Fucile nearly found Luis Suarez, but the little striker was ruled offside. A dangerous cross and two corner kicks then peppered Richard Kingson's goal, but the Black Stars did well to defend.
The first Ghana chance came when Uruguayan defender Mauricio Victorino conceded a foul on Asamoah Gyan just before the 10 minute mark. However, despite a decent delivery from Inter's Sulley Muntari, the final ball wasn't enough to trouble Fernando Muslera and Uruguay were soon on the prowl again.
Suarez found himself with space to run at the Black Stars after poor control in the centre of the pitch by Annan gifted him the ball. He cut inside from the left, but his goal-bound strike was well stopped by the capable hands of Kingson. Uruguay were certainly looking like the side most likely to score at this point
A wonderful delivery from yet another Diego Forlan corner saw the ball come off the head of Edinson Cavani, before bouncing off John Mensah, and finally smacking Kingson right on the forehead. It was a well worked set piece that could have given the South Americans a deserved advantage, but the big 'keeper's face saved the day.
Ghana finally perked up after 20 minutes, putting some passes together and eventually winning a set-piece in the final third. Muntari stood over the ball for a second time, delivering expertly, but none of the Black Stars registered enough interest, leaving the ball to fly past the back post and out for a goal kick.

Annan lost the ball once again midway through the first half, gifting Diego Forlan a free shot from just outside the area. The shot was high and wide of the mark, but it served to highlight a possible weak spot in the Ghanaian defence. Uruguay then took a quick throw in on the left and Suarez was able to roll Vorsah and let one fly. Again, Kingson made a wonderful save to keep the scores level.
Vorsah quickly made up for his mistake at the other end, finding enough space on a Ghanaian corner to direct the ball almost into the top corner of Muslera's net. It was not to be though, as the headed attempt went just wide of the post.
The Africans sustained the burst of pressure they had just created with Kevin-Prince Boateng rounding his way towards the box, beating man after man, before squaring the ball to Gyan. It was a great pass, but the ball bobbled as it reached the striker, meaning he could only direct it past the post.
Having picked up a knock earlier in the game, Uruguay skipper Diego Lugano was forced to come off. Andres Scotti replaced the Fenerbahce defender during a troublesome time for the Uruguayans – Ghana were continuing to push forward in numbers. More alarmingly, Fucile lay on the ground with his eyes shut after an awkward fall in a challenge with Samuel Inkoom. He eventually got back to his feet, but the Celeste were well and truly rocked at the back.
After a flurry of attempts harangued Muslera's goal, including an ambitious but close overhead kick attempt from Boateng, a venomous, swerving, long range shot from Sulley Muntari caught the goalie off guard giving Ghana the lead at half time. At the break, it was 1-0 for Ghana.

Uruguay looked to recover quickly from the late first-half goal, with Forlan whipping the ball into the box for an onrushing Cavani. The Palermo striker looked to be fouled just on the edge of the box, but the referee waved play on, much to the attacker's disbelief. Soon after, Ajax's Nicolas Lodeiro, who replaced Alvaro Fernandez at the break, seemed to block a Muntari free kick with his hands. Again though, the ref motioned to get on with it.
Some great work from Fucile down the left won the South Americans a free kick on the edge of Ghana's box after John Pantsil scythed down the left-back. Diego Forlan opted to strike straight at goal and the speed of the shot saw it move in the air, fooling Kingson and finally ending up in the top corner. Uruguay were back in the game.
Boateng kept his head up after the goal, almost offering an instant reply as he played in Gyan. The striker seemed to take a little longer than he perhaps should have with the shot, but he troubled Muslera nonetheless. A good save from the Lazio goalie saw the ball out for a harmless corner kick.
Kingson was almost made to feel like the second Ghanaian left ruing a mistake as his handling of an easy take gave away a free corner. However Forlan's delivery was uncharacteristically poor this time, and the 'keeper breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't long until he was under pressure from Forlan again though, as the clever forward broke forward before squaring the ball to Suarez at the back post. It was an extremely tight angle, even for the most seasoned striker, but the 23-year-old held his head in his hands, clearly unhappy with his attempt.
There was then a decent penalty shout as Boateng went down the box after some muscling from Arevalo Rios and Maxi Pereira. The referee, for the third time, was still having none of it, unwilling to give anything other than a stonewall spot-kick. Ghana soon won a free kick from 25-yards to make up for it, but Gyan's strike was off-target.

Shots at both ends meant the game was explosive throughout the second period. Inkoom was hooked for the more experienced Stephen Appiah just as Forlan was allowed to strike another set piece at goal. The strike was a good one, forcing Kingson to scramble, but it only shaved the outside of the goal netting. Sebastian Abreu then took to the pitch in place of Cavani, heading straight to the front of the attacking line in a bold move by coach Oscar Tabarez.
Forlan almost added a second to his tally as the game edged into the last 10 minutes. A well timed ball in from the right found the Atletico Madrid striker, and he managed to get a foot to it. However, the touch from his heavily outstretched leg wasn't enough to tame the pass, and Kingson was able to wipe the sweat from his brow once more.
Muntari was hooked with minutes to go, A.C. Milan's Dominic Adiyiah taking to the stage in his place. With three minutes of injury time to play, both sides were scrambling to find that late goal that would avoid extra time. However, it was not to be, as the teams were too hurried in their actions to really create anything dangerous enough to trouble the 'keepers. After 90 minutes, the scores were even.

Ghana were the first to threaten as the first half of extra time commenced, winning an early corner. It didn't end well for Mensah though, as he was booked for dissent after claiming the referee should have done more about Fucile's heavy-handed defending of the set-piece.
Kwadwo Asamoah took it upon himself to rocket one towards goal from distance, and it was on target until it began to rise, but it would end up in the stands behind Muslera's goal.
Gyan looked like he might be in with a chance after Rios made a mistake in his own box to gift the striker the ball. The rest of the Uruguayan backline managed to get back and rescue their chances of a long overdue quarter-final though.
At the other end, Pantsil looked to have fouled Abreu in the box. To most it looked like a penalty kick, but the referee's positioning dictated that he would wave for the lofty striker to get back on his feet.
Ghana threatened again in the second half of extra time through a decent set-piece delivery from Pantsil. The initial attack was a bit scrappy, but the Ghanaians kept the ball well. The build-up saw the ball come back into Muslera's box and Gyan managed to get a decent header away, however the striker's nod went wide of the mark.
It was becoming increasingly more evident that the players were getting tired, both sides making silly mistakes through fatigue. It's worth mentioning that Ghana had already been through extra time against the USA on their path to this fixture.
A great ball in from the right saw Forlan free at the back post, but he foolishly opted to go for the strike with his left foot, forcing the ball wide of its intended target.
Ghana then began to push hard again. Appiah found space on the right to cross for Gyan who took the ball down well considering the pace on the pass. He turned his marker, but could only poke the ball towards Muslera who made a decent save.
A late flurry from Ghana saw a great flurry of chances heading straight for the net. A double goal-line clearance meant the chances were kept out, but Suarez's second defence of the goal mouth was with his hands, prompting a penalty kick and a sending off.
It should have been curtains for Uruguay at that point, but Asamoah Gyan, who had already scored twice from the spot for Ghana, hit the bar with his penalty. The ball flicked over the bar and the ref blew his whistle. Penalties lay in store...
Diego Forlan stepped up first for Uruguay. It was a cool finish, sending Kingson the wrong way and leading by example. Asamoah Gyan, who had just missed a penalty, then stepped up to match Forlan's strike. An absolutely perfect spot-kick, right into the top corner saw the scores tied.
Victorino was the second of the South Americans to shoot from the spot. Another expertly struck set-piece meant it was 2-1, but a similar strike from Stephen Appiah bought it level once again.
Scotti was next in line. It was low and central, but it was hard enough to beat Kingson. John Mensah was the Black Star to next take the long walk. The defender stood over the ball arrogantly, not taking much of a run up at all. After taking one step towards the ball, he struck it tamely and Muslera made an easy low save.
Pressure evidently got to Maxi Pereira, as the full-back raced towards his penalty, skying the ball way over the bar having put too much power in the strike. Adiyiah failed to take advantage of the gift from Pereira, sidefooting the ball slow and low, easy enough for Muslera to make another save.
It was up to now Kingson to save the Black Stars. Abreu took to the box, sauntering up the ball in cool fashion, chipping the ball straight down the middle as he watched Kingson flop to his left.
After a penalty shoot-out and a hugely exciting match, Uruguay have progressed to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Netherlands 2-1 Brazil

Brazil have been eliminated from the World Cup after being unable to defend an early lead against Netherlands. The Dutch came back after falling 1-0 behind at half-time 1-0 to record a 2-1 win and progress to the semi-finals.

The Netherlands sprung the first attack of the afternoon as Dirk Kuyt floated in a ball from the left in search of Robin Van Persie but there was no problem for the Brazil defence to smother this threat.

Brazil then appeared to open the score after only eight minutes of play when Luis Fabiano set up Robinho, who calmly slotted home. However, the linesman had his flag up and the goal was deservedly disallowed.

The Selecao then did pick up the lead in the 10th minute. Felipe Melo found Robinho with a superb pass through the centre of the pitch and the Santos star calmly placed the ball past Maarten Stekelenburg to make it 1-0 for Brazil.

Oranje immediately tried to level the score and came close via Dirk Kuyt. The Liverpool attacker cut inside from the right before unleashing a low shot, but Julio Cesar deflected it wide for a corner kick.


The South Americans continued to dominate play and could have doubled their lead halfway the first half. Dani Alves found Juan with a good cross from the right and the centre back didn't hesitate to unleash a powerful shot, which went only just over the bar.

Kaka then opted to test the Dutch goalie at the half hour mark with a placed shot from 20 yards out. Stekelenburg pulled off an excellent save to deny the Real Madrid star though.

The referee awarded Oranje a free kick in a dangerous position about ten minutes before the half-time whistle. Wesley Sneijder stepped up to take it, but his shot was too weak to trouble Julio Cesar.

Netherlands then did seem to trouble the Brazilian defence minutes before the interval after a good attack down the right via Wesley Sneijder and Gregory van der Wiel. However, the latter's cross as eventually cleared by the South Americans' defence.

Maicon then nearly made it two for Brazil in the dying seconds of the first half. However, his powerful shot after an impressive run down the right ended up in the side-netting.

www.footnball.com- Netherlands vs Brazil Highlights

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Netherlands started the second half with attacking intentions and the Europeans levelled the score in the 50th minute. Wesley Sneijder sent in a dangerous cross from the right and midfielder Felipe Melo headed the ball in his own net after shot stopper Julio Cesar missed his clearance.

The Dutch only just escaped falling behind again after 65 minutes of play. Ooijer failed to clear a cross from the right, deflecting the ball into the path of Kaka. The attacking midfielder aimed his placed shot just wide of the Dutch goal though.

Oranje then somewhat surprisingly took the lead in the 67th minute. Robben sent in a great corner kick for Kuyt, who flicked the ball on for Sneijder and the unmarked Inter star headed home from close range.

Things went from bad to worse for the Selecao only minutes after the 2-1. Robben went past Felipe Melo and the Juventus midfielder cynically fouled the winger before kicking out at him again after the referee's whistle, leaving the ref no other option but to show Melo the red card.

Holland launched a breakaway about ten minutes before the final whistle after some good work from Sneijder. However, the final pass for Kuyt was just too hard and Julio Cesar picked up the loose ball.

Brazil then looked dangerous after a series of corner kicks with five more minutes to go, but an excellent goalline clearance from Kuyt prevented the equalizer.

Sneijder should have put the match to bed in the 84th minute after a quick counter attack. However, the tricky midfielder failed to beat the Brazilian goalie after being set up by Robin van Persie.