2010 WORLD CUP
SOUTH AFRICA 2010 ALBUM FACTS
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Third: GERMANY Fourth: URUGUAY Golden Boot: DIEGO FORLAN, THOMAS MULLER, WESLEY SNEIJDER, DAVID VILLA (5) the final group match – another defeat, to hosts South Africa. Holders Italy did no better as they also crashed out at the group stage, following up two draws with a 3–2 defeat to Slovakia. Robert Vittek – kitted out like the rest of the squad in a red-and-white tracksuit in South Africa 2010 – was the two-goal hero for the World Cup debutants. Argentina’s group stage form contrasted starkly with France and Italy as they won all three games under coach Diego Maradona. Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat-trick against South Korea but Lionel Messi (minus the ‘Andres’ of his Germany 2006 sticker) entered the knockout phase still looking for his range. Portugal recorded the biggest win of the tournament when they beat North Korea 7–0. Surprisingly, only one of them came from skipper Cristiano Ronaldo. England limped through Group
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C in second place, earning them the dubious pleasure of facing Germany in the second round. After quickly going two goals behind, Matthew Upson pulled one back for England before Frank Lampard’s shot was adjudged to have not crossed the line, contrary to what TV replays showed viewers. Thomas Müller – omitted from the South Africa 2010 album having only made his full German debut in March 2010 – scored twice after the break to end any doubt. Müller scored again in the quarter-final as Germany emphatically burst Argentina’s bubble in a 4–0 win. Netherlands knocked out Brazil at the same stage thanks to two goals from Wesley Sneijder. Like his compatriots, he wore a fully zipped-up Oranje tracksuit top in South Africa 2010. Meanwhile, Villa was again the match-winner for
Spain against Paraguay. But the main drama of the last eight came in Johannesburg, where Ghana were only a penalty kick away from becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals. Luis Suarez – then at Ajax – had got Uruguay to that stage with two goals in the secondround defeat of South Korea. His quarter-final efforts are best remembered for his goalkeeping skills, however, as the striker handled Dominic Adiyiah’s goalbound header, resulting in a red card and a penalty. Asamoah Gyan had the chance to put Ghana 2–1 ahead in time addedon of extra-time – only to hit the crossbar. Gyan was successful with his spot-kick in the shootout but two of his team-mates were less precise, which sent the South Americans into the last four. Missing the suspended Suarez, Diego Forlan – one of
two Uruguay strikers going for the hairband look in South Africa 2010, along with Edinson Cavani – kept up his good form with an equaliser against the Netherlands. The Dutch then surged 3–1 ahead after the break through Sneijder and Arjen Robben, before a consolation injury-time goal for Uruguay. There were fewer goals in the other semi-final, but Spain v Germany was no less absorbing as Carles Puyol headed in the only goal of the game to put the Spanish into the final for the first time. Both finalists lived on their nerves throughout the deciding game in Soccer City, Johannesburg, with neither anywhere near their best. With the match seemingly destined for penalties, Cesc Fabrégas set up Andrés Iniesta for the only goal of the game with four minutes of extra-time left.
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