These are my favourites at least and in no particular order.
1) Tshabalala scores the first goal in the World Cup
Not the best goal of the World Cup, but a good one and in the list for the moment.
2) The Luis Suarez handball
A true Marmite moment as Suarez denies Ghana a winning goal. Hero or Villain? You decide.
3) Frank Lampard’s ‘goal’
The goal that was never given and ended England’s hopes against Germany. Shocking decision, classic moment.
4) Maradona misunderstands a press question
Just look at his face! Something lost in translation there, methinks…
5) Portugal 7-0 North Korea
The biggest win in South Africa and Portugal’s only really good performance…even given the opposition.
6) Robert Green ends his England career
I might be exaggerating, but this definitely set the tone for England’s disastrous World Cup campaign.
7) French implosion
No one video can do this bizarre set of events justice, but France’s implosion was as remarkable as it was ridiculous.
8 ) Gio van Bronckhorst’s last ever goal
Assuming he HAS now retired, this isn’t a bad way to go out. If you ignore losing the World Cup final, of course…
9) South Africa’s pre-match singsong
They might not have been good enough to get through the group stage, but South Africa were excellent hosts and a breath of fresh air. Here’s one reason why.
10) The winning goal from Andres Iniesta
Can’t leave out the goal that won it all, can I?! Lovely.
Those are the highlights from the 2010 World Cup for me. What are yours? Let me know in the comments.
Not by any stretch of the imagination was last night’s World Cup final a classic but in the end the best team won. Spain have not been explosive at any stage, but their patient style of possession football has nevertheless been a pleasure to watch and they fully deserve their 1-0 victory.
In match winner Andres Iniesta and the incomparable Xavi they have the best midfield duo in the world, more than ably spearheaded by David Villa, so often the team’s hero in this tournament.
The Dutch, on the other hand, have been criticised, quite unfairly I think, for being too defensive, too negative and not holding true to their Total Football roots.
They have adjusted their style under Bert van Marwijk, yes, but they have had to. Total football has won them little and I don;t think it’s very fair to criticise a side that has made necessary changes to try and win the big one. They have still been entertaining, if in a less skilful manner than we’re used to.
Last night was a different story though. Last night they went from solid to cynical in the face of Spain’s superior passing ability. Mark van Bommel was lucky to still be on the pitch at half time after a series of dangerous tackles, not least on Iniesta, but it was Nigel de Jong’s studs up kick to the chest of Xabi Alonso that really deserved a red card.
Holland have subsequently blamed England’s World Cup final representative Howard Webb for the way he refereed the match but for me that’s just sour grapes. Yes, he showed a record 14 yellow cards and one red – to centre back John Heitinga for a a second bookable offence – but the Dutch left him with little choice as he tried hard to keep things reaching boiling point.
That’s not to say Webb didn’t make mistakes, he did, but in the face of Holland’s wild challenges and the occasional act of retaliation from Spain I thought he did a good job under very difficult circumstances. For me, he (and his team) can look back on his season with pride having taken charge of both the Champions League final and the World Cup final and acquitted himself well in both.
Back to the good stuff, what little of it there was. Arjen Robben was excellent throughout the game, creating or being on the end of all Holland’s chances. The most notable chance fell to him after a brilliant pass from the unusually subdued Wesley Sneijder sent him clean through on Casillas. His shot was well saved by the Spanish keeper with his foot, however.
Spain’s passing was again good to watch but the Dutch, bad challenges aside, were doing a cracking job of pressuring the ball and making sure they weren’t, as many commentators have described it, “passed to death”.
Not at any point did Spain panic though, having complete confidence in themselves, their ability and their tactics. After 90 minutes with the score still at 0-0 you did get the sense that it was only a matter of time before Spain got their breakthrough. That it took until the 116th minute is a credit to Holland.
When it did come it underlined Spain’s superior football. Fabregas, on for Xabi Alonso in the 87th minutes as Spain looked for more attacking options, found himself in space on the edge of the 18 yard box. His ball into the box found Iniesta who had started the move from his own half only seconds earlier.
The midfielder’s first touch to control the ball was excellent and the finish past Mark Stekelenburg was of equal quality. He was booked for removing his shirt to reveal a tribute to Dani Jarque who died during pre-season training in Italy last year. A price worth paying, both for the goal and the message – “Dani Jarque is always with us”. Check it out.
At the other end of the pitch Iker Casillas was having a blinder, saving well from Robben three times, while Stekelenburg also had a good game, though he could do nothing about Iniesta’s winning goal.
Overall it was a poor game but that wasn’t Spain’s fault, it was Holland’s. Their tactics were spot on, spoiling the Spanish passing all night, but the over the top tackles ruined it and inevitably cost them when they went down to ten men. From there on there was only going to be one winner and so it proved. Thoroughly deserved, Spain are now reigning world and European champions.
Holland can take heart however, they are a much improved side and will challenge for the European Championship in Poland and the Ukraine in 2012, as will a young and improving Germany. And who knows, maybe even a resurgent England? Nah…
The third place play off was a much better game, as I suggested it might be, Germany finally winning it 3-2 with an 82nd minute goal from Sami Khedira. Despite taking the lead in the 18th minute via tournament Golden Boot winner Thomas Muller, Germany found themselves 2-1 down after 51 minutes as Uruguay looked to end their impressive tournament on a high, scoring through Cavani and player of the tournament Diego Forlan.
Jansen equalised for Germany before Khedira’s late winner. It was tough on Uruguay but like Spain in the final, Germany were the better side overall in this match and deserved their third place. They are going to be one hell of a side in a couple of years and I’m tipping them now to lift the European Championships.
Often the forgotten match at most World Cups, the third place play off in this tournament has the potential to be a classic – assuming both sides are up for it.
The promising thing is, both teams have players with worthwhile achievements within reach.
Uruguay have Diego Forlan looking to win the Golden Boot. He currently has four goals, one behind David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, both of which will compete in the final. Forlan will be hopeful of grabbing two or three goals to make it especially difficult for those two.
Unfortunately for Forlan, Germany have Miroslav Klose, also on four goals, also vying for the Golden Boot and, perhaps more importantly, looking to beat the great Ronaldo’s 15 goal record in World Cup finals.
That is, of course, assuming that both players are fit. Klose is struggling with a bad back and Forlan has a thigh injury to overcome. The game needs both players, so fingers crossed on that one.
Personal glory aside, the match itself pits an attacking force in Uruguay against a counter attacking Germany and should produce a lot of goals. I certainly hope so, as I see the World Cup final between Spain and Holland being a tight affair, won by a single goal. So if this World Cup is to go out in style, it is relying on the play off.
Uruguay will welcome back Luis Suarez (himself not out of the race for the Golden Boot just yet) to partner Forlan, increasing their potency. Germany will be boosted by the return of Thomas Muller from suspension as well – many think if he had played against Spain it would be them in the final. I wouldn’t go that far, but they would certainly have offered more up front.
Head to Head: History says Germany will win this. In nine matches between the two, they’ve won six, drawn two and lost only one – the first meeting between the sides in…wait for it…1928!
Prediction: I can’t see any other winner than Germany, though I would love Uruguay to end their brilliant campaign on a high. 3-1 to the Germans.
I recently conducted a poll on the Sporting Fare Facebook Page, asking one simple question – who will win the World Cup, Holland or Spain?
Well, the results of this completely unscientific poll are in and you are all in no doubt about one thing. You have as much a clue as me!
The results were split EXACTLY 50/50 in favour of, well, no-one, obviously.
I feel much the same way about it. I just can’t pick a winner! Spain are the superior team, of that I’m in no doubt, but Holland are like a machine at the moment, rolling inexorably towards their destination. A first World Cup.
So let’s try and be SLIGHTLY more scientific about it. Tell us in the comments who you think will win and WHY. I’m dying to know the reasoning behind your choice.
It is slightly odd that a comparatively poor game involving Holland and Uruguay boasted five goals while a match of high intrigue was won by a single goal. Nevertheless, that’s what happened and we are blessed with a World Cup final featuring two teams never have to won it, namely Spain and Holland.
Holland’s 3-2 victory over Uruguay was deserved, but their usual ‘cool’, evident in every match in this tournament to this point, abandoned them towards the end as Uruguay applied pressure, desperate themselves to reach the final.
But in those two Holland have match winners. Both scored within three minutes of each other to give the Dutch a seemingly unassailable 3-1 lead with 17 minutes left. Uruguay tried hard, pressing and unnerving their opposition, even scoring a late, late goal through Pereira, but Holland hung on to reach their first World Cup final since 1978.
Spain beat Germany through a surprising source, Carlos Puyol heading home a Xavi corner with venom, but were again below their own high standards and Germany will rue defending so deep as with more pressure they might have wont this.
Germany’s success so far has come from the counter attack, breaking on opponents quickly, but they got no such opportunity against Spain and were slowly pushed back by the Spanish passing game, though they allowed very few actually chances.
What made this game so intriguing was the battle between Spain’s clearly superior passing ability and Germany’s discipline and shape. In the end, it was the passing that won out, as Spain threatened more and more, especially in the second half and the breakthrough via Puyol with 17 minutes left was deserved.
Seriously, if Germany had pressed for victory themselves instead of looking for the counter attack they could have won this but once again Spain’s patience paid off and they have the opportunity to win their first World Cup on Sunday.
I’m shockingly bad at predictions but I’ll give it another go in my World Cup Final preview over the weekend. I’ll say now, though, that I am anticipating a very good final.
