Day 31 - WORLD CONQUERORS
Spain fulfills its destiny, taking home the country’s first-ever World Cup Championship.

July 11, 2010
by Dan Krier

Spain 1 - Netherlands 0

And so it happened. With an extremely late goal by midfielder Andres Iniesta in extra time, Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, victorious for the fourth straight match by a result of 1-0.

By anyone’s account, it was a substandard affair Sunday night in Johannesburg, with each team taking dives on fouls in order to elicit yellow cards, which came in hordes as both sides were handed a record number of 13, the previous high being 6. And while it could be said that head referee Howard Webb was too quick to book players, a lot of the challenges were overexuberant and came across as dangerous sloppy play.

For the Netherlands, this day will forever go down as a game of missed opportunities. Twice during the second half - in the 62nd and 83rd minutes - Holland’s Arjen Robben was denied by the diving legs of Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas on clear-path 1-on-1 breakaways. Robben and the rest of the Netherlands will be replaying those moments in nightmares for the remainder of their lives.

Spain, as well, had multiple chances to score, though nothing as wide open as the runs made by Holland’s Robben. In the 70th minute, World Cup leading-scorer David Villa was given a sliver of space to shoot on a mishandled cross through the Dutch box, but he couldn’t solve the tight angle off the left side of the goal, keeper Maarten Stekelenburg making one of several great saves during the match.

Then in the 77th minute, Sergio Ramos was denied glory when he missed a wide-open header on a corner kick that caromed off his forehead before sailing high over the bar. The game stayed tied 0-0 until the 90th-minute whistle, forcing thirty minutes of extra time.

In the overtime period, things went back & forth, with the best chance to score by Spain’s Cesc Fabregas thwarted by the leg of Stekelenburg in the 95th minute to preserve the shutout. But shortly thereafter, things took a major turn for the worse for the Netherlands, because another rough tackle by Holland’s John Heitinga yielded his second yellow card for pulling Spain’s Iniesta down from behind, which translated to a RED CARD and a send-off, putting Spain in the position of having a one-man advantage.

Finally, then, in the 116th minute, the moment came.

With the prospects of another bland penalty-kick shootout just four or five minutes away, Spain was able to cash in on their power play before it was too late.

On the goal, substitute forward Fernando Torres took the ball on a pass up the left side, where he crossed it to the front of the box toward another reserve, teammate Fabregas, who then slid the ball right, where Andres Iniesta controlled the bouncer just enough to fire a right-foot volley into the net off the bottom of Stekelenburg’s right hand, giving Spain the lead 1-0 in the nick of time.

The goal marked the end of the road for Holland, who couldn’t create a last-gasp chance, falling in what is now their third World Cup Final defeat. Utter joy for Spain, who hoist the cup for the first time in history, this team taking its spot in the books as one of the best ever, having won the 2008 UEFA Euro Crown along with the 2010 World Cup.

Though they only won each of their knockout games by the score of 1-0, Spain is undoubtedly the best team in the entire world. Congratulations.

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1st Team All-World Cup
Better than All-Stars, these 11 men performed so well in this year’s tournament that their names will go down in football history forever.

July 9, 2010
by Dan Krier

FORWARDS:

David Villa - Spain

Villa has had a remarkable World Cup, scoring a tourney-best 5 goals leading into the Final on July 11th. He was also a model of consistency for Spain, scoring in a crucial four games in a row to propel them towards what could be their first-ever World Cup crown. I won’t be shocked if he’s the one scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win vs. Netherlands. We’ll see!

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Thomas Mueller - Germany

At 20 years of age, Mueller is one of the youngest players on any team’s roster, so to tally 4 goals along with 3 assists is an even more remarkable feat. The tall German was forced to miss the match vs. Spain due to his second yellow card on a phantom call against Argentina. Otherwise we might be talking about Germany going for their 4th ever World Cup Championship.

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Luis Suarez - Uruguay

Another player whose absence from his team’s semifinal loss probably made the unfortunate difference, Suarez actually earned his suspension in the most noble of fashions when he deliberately used his hand to swat away a Ghanaian goal at the end of regulation time in the quarterfinal round (what?…should he have let the goal just go in?). The flashy forward had great games one after the other, scoring 3 goals with 1 assist going into Uruguay’s 3rd place match vs. Germany July 10th.

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MIDFIELDERS:

Wesley Sneijder - Netherlands

I’ll be honest and say I’d never heard of Wesley Sneijder before the World Cup began. But by the end of his team’s first game vs. Denmark, I knew very well that this was one of the best midfielders in the world. Sneijder proved to be the difference-maker for a very talented Netherlands team, giving his side a balance on both ends of the field while providing pivotal passing and skilled shooting on offense. With one more win by the Dutch, the man will go down as a National Hero, if he’s not one already. 5 goals and 1 assist so far with world-class finishes from his feet…and his head!

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Diego Forlan - Uruguay

Though technically a forward, Forlan spent a vast majority of the World Cup patrolling the middle of the field, serving up perfect crosses to teammates like Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani while leading Uruguay in goals with a total of 4. More than anything, though, Forlan will go down as the man who mastered the Jabulani soccer ball, getting the crazy thing to swerve and knuckle at will with his wicked left foot.

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Landon Donovan - USA

Like Diego Forlan, Landon Donovan is also officially listed as a forward, but served team USA in the role of field general, dishing out passes and scoring goals in the nick of time. Everyone knew Donovan to be a capable player coming into the 2010 World Cup, but there’s no doubting his greatness anymore, along with his grit & determination after scoring 3 goals, including a game-tying penalty kick vs. Ghana.

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Xavi - Spain

Xavi is the ultimate team player, period, and this can be summed up by the following statistic: In six games thus far, he has completed 570 passes at an 81% accuracy rate. I’m not sure if I even comprehend that. 570 passes. That’s nearly 100 per game. Put those numbers next to the fact that Spain is competing in their first-ever World Cup Final, and you’ve got a man whose 4-letter name will last for eternity.

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DEFENDERS:

Gerard Pique - Spain

It’s tough to choose the best defenders since usually you only learn their names if they’ve made a crucial mistake. But for Spain, Gerard Pique provided a lock-down defender that gave them just enough to win every game. His play was always consistent, clamping down on players like Cristiano Ronaldo and helping Spain to four different shutout victories.

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Per Mertesacker - Germany

I’m picking Per Mertesacker because the giant 6’5” German is impossible to miss, meaning the guy can head any ball out of danger at will. Mertesacker spent the World Cup running up and down the field, doing just enough to keep the Germans one step ahead of the competition. Any team would want a player like this on their back line.

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Gabriel Heinze - Argentina

Gabriel Heinze makes the All-World team for being all over the field at all times. Here is a defender that simply would not stop running. Up & down, back & forth, the feisty fullback was the first to celebrate goals, while at all times ready to scuffle with the competition (and camera men too!). Credit Heinze for getting Argentina going in the 2010 World Cup, scoring his team’s first goal in just the 5th minute of play on a blistering header vs. Nigeria that will go down as one of the best goals of the tournament. It’s enough to make you want to stick out your tongue and say Heinze!

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GOALIE:

Maarten Stekelenburg- Netherlands

Choosing Stekelenburg over Spain’s Iker Casillas for best goalie of the tournament came down to the “Save of the Century” that Stekelenburg made vs. Brazil on a curling shot by Kaka that would have put Holland down an insurmountable two goals. Instead, the save was made, and Netherlands are now getting the chance to go for it all. Casillas was wonderful as well, but didn’t have to face the competition that Stekelenburg did. We’ll see who wins out between the two on July 11th.

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2nd Team All-World Cup:

Robert Vittek - Slovakia, Mesut Oezil - Germany, Gonzalo Higuain - Argentina, Asamoah Gyan - Ghana, Dirk Kuyt - Netherlands, Luis Fabiano - Brazil, Miroslav Klose - Germany, Keisuke Honda - Japan, Arjen Robben - Netherlands, Iker Casillas - Spain, Bastian Schweinsteiger - Germany.

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Day 26 - ORANJE CRUSH
Holland appears marked for glory in reaching their third-ever World Cup Final.

July 6, 2010
by Dan Krier

Netherlands 3 - Uruguay 2

Sometimes the path to greatness is riddled with its share of ups & downs. Other times, it’s smooth sailing from square one.

The latter case represents the way in which the Netherlands national football team have reached the 2010 World Cup Final, this last step completed with a rather dominant 3-2 victory over a never-say-die Uruguay side that overachieved from the moment they got to South Africa.

And truly, this game was par for the course for the Dutch, who entered the World Cup rolling on the heels of a perfect 8 wins out of 8 in 2010 UEFA World Cup Qualifying, scoring a total of 17 goals in those games while yielding only 2. They then strode through the 2010 preliminary round with a perfect three wins and nine points, winning Group E after just two matches were completed.

Next came a 2-1 triumph over a crafty Slovakian squad that had upset Italy just days before, followed by an astounding comeback victory over world #1 Brazil in the quarterfinal round. Clearly stated, the Netherlands’ success is no accident.

So the Men of Oranje took their show to Cape Town on Tuesday night, facing off against a Uruguay team depleted of two of its stars, one due to injury (for Diego Lugano) and the other for suspension because of a Red Card (for Luis Suarez). In many ways this game should have been a rout, but Uruguay were too tough to get pushed around, and made one hell of an effort from start to finish.

The game began with Holland on the attack right away, and just as things started to settle in, Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst unleashed a pulsing sonic boom of a shot that rang true in the 18th minute for a 1-0 Netherlands lead. It was just the sixth-ever goal for the defensive back in 105 career games for his country.

With the goal, Uruguay had no choice. They had to push forward to equalize, and so they tried. But the feel of the game was in hand, and everyone knew this was going to be a Dutch victory. Except Diego Forlan. The Uruguayan striker, who had spent the last month of the World Cup bending shots like a knuckleball from a Major League pitcher, put his left foot to a liner in the 41st minute that beat goalie Maarten Stekelenburg for the 1-1 tie. Relief for Uruguay, fear for the Netherlands.

So back and forth it went for the next half hour of play, no one quite sure of the outcome. But the Dutch began to build, coming close on several occasions when finally, in the 70th minute, secret agent Wesley Sneijder got a shot to glance off a defenders shin, pinballing past goalie Fernando Muslera for the 2-1 regained lead. It was Sneijder’s fifth goal of the tournament, the most by any player thus far (along with David Villa of Spain). Relief for everyone in Holland. It was surely going to be an All-European Final.

And sure enough, just 3 minutes later, a wonderful left-to-right cross from Dirk Kuyt connected perfectly with Arjen Robben, who put the game away with a world-class header, making the score 3-1 Netherlands.

Uruguay’s Maxi Periera netted a very late left-foot goal two minutes into final stoppage time to pull Uruguay within one at 3-2, but even with a couple tense final moments it was too little and too late, so Netherlands move on to their first World Cup Final since 1978. Very very deserved for the players from Holland, who have exhibited fantastic teamwork for over a dozen games in a row. They’re going to be hard to beat on Sunday.

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Uruguay vs. Netherlands

What can you say about this one? Nobody in the world outside of these two countries would have picked either of these teams to reach the 2010 World Cup semifinals, yet here they both are. I’m shocked, but it’s a pleasant surprise since both squads have earned the right to be exactly where they are.

Who has the advantage? Really, I’m not so sure. It could go either way. Or could it?

Advantage-wise, it’s almost comical to bring up the fact that Uruguay is a 2-time Champ, being that their last Cup title came 60 years ago. Netherlands, on the same sad side of the coin, come in off very little recent success as well, having made the finals in both 1974 and 1978, losing both in pretty ugly fashion.

And truthfully, with full rosters on both sides, I would be predicting a 1-1 regulation tie with PKs to decide things. But this match will be far from even due to the two monumental losses that Uruguay will be forced to endure.

One huge void will be star striker Luis Suarez, whose hand ball on the goal line versus Ghana is the reason they’re still alive, but the RED CARD assessed for the do-or-die infraction is accompanied by a mandatory suspension for Tuesday’s game, so no Suarez, who has scored 3 goals in the 2010 World Cup. The other loss is on the opposite side of the field, where anchoring defensive back Diego Lugano is out with a knee injury. As those two go, so go Uruguay, even with rock star Diego Forlan around to cause havoc for Holland.

Therefore, on the back of newly-minted world superstar Wesley Sneijder (who scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Brazil), I look for Netherlands to roll to a victory and their 3rd ever finals appearance on July 11th. Uruguay will still be pleased to reach the third-place game on July 10th.

DK Pick: Netherlands 2 - Uruguay 0

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Germany vs. Spain

Frankly, Spain have been a bore all tournament.

They began things by losing to Switzerland, went on to get a rather narrow 2-goal victory over a massively overmatched Honduras, then finished group play with a sleepwalking 2-1 win over a Chile team that didn’t need a victory to move on out of group play.

Then the Spaniards knocked off the perennially-anemic Portuguese by the thrilling (no!) tally of 1-0, a riotous score that was recreated four days later against puttering Paraguay. ZZZzzzzzzzz!!!

Germany has been the polar opposite of this in every way. Creative, inventive, exhilarating team play has rocketed the young side to the semifinals in the most dominant way possible. Consider this: The Germans’ combined scores in their last wins over England & Argentina add up to 8-1. Immmmmpressive.

Yes, Germany will be without young gun Thomas Mueller, who will be prohibited from playing in Wednesday’s match due to a 1-game suspension for two tournament-accrued yellow cards, but that doesn’t mean Miroslav Klose won’t be racking up more goals in his absence. Look for Klose to break the all-time goals scored record with two against Spain, then watch him add even more in the 2010 World Cup Final, pitting Netherlands vs. Germany on July 11th.

DK Pick: Germany 3 - Spain 1

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That was a shocking 2nd half. I can’t believe how much the game changed after Holland’s first goal.

I don’t think it should have been counted as an own goal for Felipe Melo. It was a fair score by Wesley Sneijder. Melo’s head got pushed forward by the goalie.

Bad luck on that play for Brazil, but they earned their loss. Sneijder was fantastic today.

CAN’T BELIEVE THIS RESULT! PRETTY MUCH THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT I PREDICTED, HA! OF COURSE.