EURO 2012
Polandia - Ukraina
Polandia
Yunani
Rusia
Republik Ceko
Belanda
Denmark
Jerman
Portugal
Spanyol
Italia
Republik Irlandia
Kroasia
Ukraina
Swedia
Prancis
Inggris
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thomas Muller Win Golden Boot before World Cup
1:03 AM
Thomas Muller admits he never believed he would win the adidas Golden Boot before the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ began.
The 20-year-old forward, who only made his international debut in March, scored five times in South Africa to clinch the award. David Villa, Wesley Sneijder and Diego Forlan also scored five goals, but the Bayern Munich man's three assists saw him edge out the trio.
"This is just incredible for a newcomer to the World Cup. If anyone had told me I'd end on eight scorer points, I'd have said they were kidding me," Muller said on Bayern's official website. "It's an honour of course, but at the end of the day, I'd rather have had the World Cup itself."
Muller's performances in helping Germany reach the semi-finals in South Africa also won him the Hyundai Best Young Player award.
"It's a huge honour to be part of a group including the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Michael Owen and the most recent winner, Lukas Podolski," added Muller. "For me personally, it's terrific confirmation of the work I've put in over the last year. I'm delighted my great run has continued here, and I've really enjoyed it too. The honour will be with me for all time, and it's a wonderful memento too."
Monday, July 12, 2010
The New World Cup Champion Spain
2:27 AM
Iniesta drilled his left-foot strike across goal - but the Dutch were incensed after referee Howard Webb had failed to award their side a corner moments earlier when a free-kick took a sizeable deflection off Cesc Fabregas.
However, Euro 2008 champions Spain, who conceded only two goals during the tournament, deserved their victory after gradually taking a grip on a tense and bad-tempered contest that produced 14 yellow cards with Johnny Heitinga sent off on 109 minutes after picking up a second yellow card.
However, Euro 2008 champions Spain, who conceded only two goals during the tournament, deserved their victory after gradually taking a grip on a tense and bad-tempered contest that produced 14 yellow cards with Johnny Heitinga sent off on 109 minutes after picking up a second yellow card.
The Dutch, who lost in the 1974 and 1978 finals, were bidding to become the first side since Brazil in 1970 to go through World Cup qualifying and the finals unbeaten.
They had a glorious chance to take the lead in the second half but Arjen Robben, comfortably his team's most potent attacking weapon, could find no way past Spain captain Iker Casillas, who slumped to the floor and cried tears of joy after the final whistle.
Sergio Ramos was equally culpable of a glaring miss for Spain when he headed over and substitute Fabregas, as with Robben before him, also failed to convert a one-on-one chance.
But it was from a through ball by the influential Fabregas that midfielder Iniesta struck making Spain the first team to win a World Cup after losing their opening game of the tournament.
Spain also become the team to win to World Cup having scored the fewest number of goals - finding the net eight times in their seven matches. The previous mark was held by three teams including England in 1996.
The dramatic finale at Soccer City was in stark contrast to a hugely underwhelming opening 45 minutes, which was a brutal disappointment after the spectacular opening ceremony and moving appearance by former president Nelson Mandela that had preceded it.
Spain dominated possession in the opening minutes and looked to have the measure of an uncertain Dutch backline. Ramos almost put them ahead after just four minutes but his thunderous header was brilliantly saved by Maarten Stekelenburg.
The Netherlands could not get a grip on the game but were helped by a spate of yellow cards from referee Webb that disturbed the rhythm of the match.
Webb booked five players in the opening 28 minutes, although several crude challenges left him with little option.
Dutch enforcer Mark van Bommel was booked after going through the back of Iniesta, while Nigel de Jong was lucky to escape red after planting his foot in the chest of Xabi Alonso.
Robben did force a decent save from Casillas with a low left-foot strike after cutting inside during stoppage time.
But the match had degenerated to the extent that Alonso opted to shoot with a free-kick on the wrong side of 40 yards instead of a seeking out a team-mate.
Spain defender Joan Capdevila wasted a good chance shortly after the restart, failing to make contact with a Carles Puyol flick-on.
The bookings continued after the break and the contest occasionally threatened to boil over as the tension appeared to affect the players.
But there were also a few moments of real quality, none more so than a sumptuous through ball from the largely anonymous Wesley Sneijder that played Robben clean through on goal.
Robben delayed his shot but, equally, Casillas stood his ground as long as possible and brilliantly saved with his legs.
It was a head-in-hands moment for Robben, but one quickly followed for Spain when a completely unmarked Ramos headed a corner over the crossbar.
Robben's pace troubled the Spanish defence throughout and another burst from the Bayern Munich man unsettled Puyol, who appeared to impinge his opponent. Robben, just outside the penalty area, chose to stay on his feet and Casillas again denied him.
Spain had moved into the ascendancy as the match wore on, with Xavi increasingly influential.
Fabregas replaced Alonso in the 87th minute and quickly made an impression by collecting a superb Iniesta pass, but the Arsenal man could find no way beyond Stekelenberg, who saved brilliantly with his legs.
The complement was returned shortly afterwards but Iniesta opted not to strike from 18 yards and was eventually dispossessed by the excellent Gregory van der Wiel.
Heitinger became the fifth man to be sent off in a World Cup final when he pulled back Iniesta on the edge of the area, giving Webb little choice but to hand him a second caution, and that seemed to spur Spain on for a final effort.
Joris Mathijsen headed over for the Netherlands in what was their only good chance of the extra-time period before Iniesta struck his late and decisive blow.
They had a glorious chance to take the lead in the second half but Arjen Robben, comfortably his team's most potent attacking weapon, could find no way past Spain captain Iker Casillas, who slumped to the floor and cried tears of joy after the final whistle.
Sergio Ramos was equally culpable of a glaring miss for Spain when he headed over and substitute Fabregas, as with Robben before him, also failed to convert a one-on-one chance.
But it was from a through ball by the influential Fabregas that midfielder Iniesta struck making Spain the first team to win a World Cup after losing their opening game of the tournament.
Spain also become the team to win to World Cup having scored the fewest number of goals - finding the net eight times in their seven matches. The previous mark was held by three teams including England in 1996.
The dramatic finale at Soccer City was in stark contrast to a hugely underwhelming opening 45 minutes, which was a brutal disappointment after the spectacular opening ceremony and moving appearance by former president Nelson Mandela that had preceded it.
Spain dominated possession in the opening minutes and looked to have the measure of an uncertain Dutch backline. Ramos almost put them ahead after just four minutes but his thunderous header was brilliantly saved by Maarten Stekelenburg.
The Netherlands could not get a grip on the game but were helped by a spate of yellow cards from referee Webb that disturbed the rhythm of the match.
Webb booked five players in the opening 28 minutes, although several crude challenges left him with little option.
Dutch enforcer Mark van Bommel was booked after going through the back of Iniesta, while Nigel de Jong was lucky to escape red after planting his foot in the chest of Xabi Alonso.
Robben did force a decent save from Casillas with a low left-foot strike after cutting inside during stoppage time.
But the match had degenerated to the extent that Alonso opted to shoot with a free-kick on the wrong side of 40 yards instead of a seeking out a team-mate.
Spain defender Joan Capdevila wasted a good chance shortly after the restart, failing to make contact with a Carles Puyol flick-on.
The bookings continued after the break and the contest occasionally threatened to boil over as the tension appeared to affect the players.
But there were also a few moments of real quality, none more so than a sumptuous through ball from the largely anonymous Wesley Sneijder that played Robben clean through on goal.
Robben delayed his shot but, equally, Casillas stood his ground as long as possible and brilliantly saved with his legs.
It was a head-in-hands moment for Robben, but one quickly followed for Spain when a completely unmarked Ramos headed a corner over the crossbar.
Robben's pace troubled the Spanish defence throughout and another burst from the Bayern Munich man unsettled Puyol, who appeared to impinge his opponent. Robben, just outside the penalty area, chose to stay on his feet and Casillas again denied him.
Spain had moved into the ascendancy as the match wore on, with Xavi increasingly influential.
Fabregas replaced Alonso in the 87th minute and quickly made an impression by collecting a superb Iniesta pass, but the Arsenal man could find no way beyond Stekelenberg, who saved brilliantly with his legs.
The complement was returned shortly afterwards but Iniesta opted not to strike from 18 yards and was eventually dispossessed by the excellent Gregory van der Wiel.
Heitinger became the fifth man to be sent off in a World Cup final when he pulled back Iniesta on the edge of the area, giving Webb little choice but to hand him a second caution, and that seemed to spur Spain on for a final effort.
Joris Mathijsen headed over for the Netherlands in what was their only good chance of the extra-time period before Iniesta struck his late and decisive blow.
Netherlands
|
0-1 |
|
FT |
| (HT 0-0) (aet) |
Iniesta, 116 | ||
Team |
|||
Netherlands
|
Spain
|
||
Substitutes:
| Substitutes:
| ||
| |||
)
Germany finished third at the World Cup 2010 South Africa
1:00 AM
It seemed the three-time champions were set for a comfortable evening when Thomas Mueller capped a period of dominance with a straightforward finish after Fernando Muslera spilled a long-range drive from Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Uruguay forced their way back into proceedings through Edinson Cavani before Diego Forlan put them ahead with an acrobatic volley shortly after half-time.
Uruguay forced their way back into proceedings through Edinson Cavani before Diego Forlan put them ahead with an acrobatic volley shortly after half-time.
But more poor goalkeeping from Muslera allowed Marcell Jansen to equalise and Khedira then capitalised on Uruguay's failure to clear a Mesut Ozil corner to ensure Germany would end their tournament on a happy note.
The third-place play-off is often billed as a match that no team wants to play - but this encounter made a mockery of any such suggestion.
Uruguay exceeded all expectations in reaching the last four and, with a parade through the streets of Montevideo and a date with President Jose Mujica planned for Monday, they were desperate to finish their campaign on a high.
Germany, meanwhile, are a hugely talented young squad who will be together for some years and viewed the meeting with La Celeste as another stepping stone in their development.
Oscar Tabarez's men signalled their intent by restoring fit-again captain Diego Lugano and star striker Luis Suarez, suspended for the last-four defeat by the Netherlands, to the starting line-up.
Although Germany made five changes from the side beaten by Spain, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski were suffering from a virus, Miroslav Klose had a bad back and coach Joachim Loew was still able to name an enviable line-up.
And it was clear from the opening exchanges that this was no friendly as Mueller saw a strike ruled out for handball, Dennis Aogo escaped with a caution for a terrible studs-up challenge on Diego Perez and Forlan curled a free-kick just over.
It was Germany, though, who dominated the early possession and, after Arne Friedrich had nodded a Ozil corner against the crossbar, they opened the scoring.
Schweinsteiger unleashed a swerving drive from about 35 yards that was spilled by Muslera, offering Mueller a simple finish to draw level with David Villa and Wesley Sneijder on five goals.
Germany might have been expected to kick on from there but instead they sat back on their lead and invited Uruguay forward, while looking to launch the occasional counter-attack of their own.
The two-time champions duly settled into a tidy rhythm, showcasing their ability to turn defence into attack at frightening pace, and were soon back on level terms.
Schweinsteiger, captaining Germany in the absence of Lahm, was robbed of possession by Perez before Forlan fed Cavani and the 23-year-old Palermo striker calmly slotted past Hans Joerg Butt.
Despite persistent rainfall at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Uruguay were passing and moving beautifully and they should have gone ahead before the break when Forlan released Suarez, only for the Ajax frontman to drag a shot wide.
Germany, making a record fifth appearance in the third-place play-off, seemed to have lost their earlier intensity and that allowed the South Americans, full of desire and no shortage of quality, to pick up where they left off in the second period.
Forlan, Suarez and Cavani caused their opponents all manner of problems and, after Cavani and Suarez were denied by Butt, Forlan met Egidio Arevalo's cross with a superb volley to notch his fifth goal of the finals.
Uruguay deserved their advantage and, with Germany showing little potency in the final third, they looked set fair for a fine victory.
But Muslera's unconvincing attempt at claiming a Jerome Boateng cross allowed Jansen to divert the ball into an unguarded net and suddenly the momentum had shifted.
Uruguay, who have still not beaten a European team at the World Cup since 1970, rapidly began to tire and Germany substitute Stefan Kiessling twice squandered opportunities to grab the winner before Khedira made no mistake.
Tabarez's players refused to accept defeat and almost forced extra time, Forlan curled a 92nd-minute free-kick on to the bar.
But Germany held on and their celebrations at full-time showed exactly what this result meant to them.
The third-place play-off is often billed as a match that no team wants to play - but this encounter made a mockery of any such suggestion.
Uruguay exceeded all expectations in reaching the last four and, with a parade through the streets of Montevideo and a date with President Jose Mujica planned for Monday, they were desperate to finish their campaign on a high.
Germany, meanwhile, are a hugely talented young squad who will be together for some years and viewed the meeting with La Celeste as another stepping stone in their development.
Oscar Tabarez's men signalled their intent by restoring fit-again captain Diego Lugano and star striker Luis Suarez, suspended for the last-four defeat by the Netherlands, to the starting line-up.
Although Germany made five changes from the side beaten by Spain, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski were suffering from a virus, Miroslav Klose had a bad back and coach Joachim Loew was still able to name an enviable line-up.
And it was clear from the opening exchanges that this was no friendly as Mueller saw a strike ruled out for handball, Dennis Aogo escaped with a caution for a terrible studs-up challenge on Diego Perez and Forlan curled a free-kick just over.
It was Germany, though, who dominated the early possession and, after Arne Friedrich had nodded a Ozil corner against the crossbar, they opened the scoring.
Schweinsteiger unleashed a swerving drive from about 35 yards that was spilled by Muslera, offering Mueller a simple finish to draw level with David Villa and Wesley Sneijder on five goals.
Germany might have been expected to kick on from there but instead they sat back on their lead and invited Uruguay forward, while looking to launch the occasional counter-attack of their own.
The two-time champions duly settled into a tidy rhythm, showcasing their ability to turn defence into attack at frightening pace, and were soon back on level terms.
Schweinsteiger, captaining Germany in the absence of Lahm, was robbed of possession by Perez before Forlan fed Cavani and the 23-year-old Palermo striker calmly slotted past Hans Joerg Butt.
Despite persistent rainfall at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Uruguay were passing and moving beautifully and they should have gone ahead before the break when Forlan released Suarez, only for the Ajax frontman to drag a shot wide.
Germany, making a record fifth appearance in the third-place play-off, seemed to have lost their earlier intensity and that allowed the South Americans, full of desire and no shortage of quality, to pick up where they left off in the second period.
Forlan, Suarez and Cavani caused their opponents all manner of problems and, after Cavani and Suarez were denied by Butt, Forlan met Egidio Arevalo's cross with a superb volley to notch his fifth goal of the finals.
Uruguay deserved their advantage and, with Germany showing little potency in the final third, they looked set fair for a fine victory.
But Muslera's unconvincing attempt at claiming a Jerome Boateng cross allowed Jansen to divert the ball into an unguarded net and suddenly the momentum had shifted.
Uruguay, who have still not beaten a European team at the World Cup since 1970, rapidly began to tire and Germany substitute Stefan Kiessling twice squandered opportunities to grab the winner before Khedira made no mistake.
Tabarez's players refused to accept defeat and almost forced extra time, Forlan curled a 92nd-minute free-kick on to the bar.
But Germany held on and their celebrations at full-time showed exactly what this result meant to them.
Uruguay
|
2-3 |
|
FT |
| Cavani, 28 Forlan, 51 |
(HT 1-1) | Muller, 18 Jansen, 56 Khedira, 82 |
|
Team |
|||
Uruguay
|
Germany
|
||
Substitutes:
| Substitutes:
| ||
| |||
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Route to Final World Cup 2010 South Africa
1:58 PM
Spain entered the 2010 World Cup as the reigning UEFA European Football Champions having won UEFA Euro 2008, and as the holders of the international football record of consecutive unbeaten games for a national team, spanning 35 matches from 2007 to 2009. The Netherlands entered the World Cup having not lost a single match in their UEFA Group 9 qualifying campaign, winning 8 matches out of 8.
Once at the finals in South Africa, the Netherlands reached the knock-out stages having finished top of Group E with a perfect record of three wins, against Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, conceding only one goal. In the knock-out stages, they beat World Cup débutantes Slovakia, 5 time champions Brazil and 2 time champions Uruguay.
Spain reached the knock-out stages having finished top of Group H, recovering from an initial loss to Switzerland to beat Honduras and then Chile, tying with Chile on points but qualifying top of the group on goal difference. In the knock-out stages, they then beat their Iberian neighbours Portugal, quarter final débutantes Paraguay and three time winners Germany. The semi-final was a repeat of the match up for the UEFA Euro 2008 Final, and again saw Spain beat Germany, who were the top scorers of the 2010 tournament up to that point.
Once at the finals in South Africa, the Netherlands reached the knock-out stages having finished top of Group E with a perfect record of three wins, against Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, conceding only one goal. In the knock-out stages, they beat World Cup débutantes Slovakia, 5 time champions Brazil and 2 time champions Uruguay.
Spain reached the knock-out stages having finished top of Group H, recovering from an initial loss to Switzerland to beat Honduras and then Chile, tying with Chile on points but qualifying top of the group on goal difference. In the knock-out stages, they then beat their Iberian neighbours Portugal, quarter final débutantes Paraguay and three time winners Germany. The semi-final was a repeat of the match up for the UEFA Euro 2008 Final, and again saw Spain beat Germany, who were the top scorers of the 2010 tournament up to that point.
In the six games both teams played in South Africa to reach the final, the Netherlands scored a total of 12 goals and conceded 5, while Spain scored 7 and conceded 2. The top goalscorer in the tournament receives the World Cup Golden Boot. Going into the final both Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands and David Villa of Spain were tied as the top scorers, while Arjen Robben of the Netherlands is the only other player in the finalists squads with more than one goal in the tournament so far.
 Netherlands |
Round | Spain  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detail Match on Group E: 2010 FIFA World Cup: Group E
|
Group stage |
Detail Match on Group H: 2010 FIFA World Cup: Group H
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Slovakia |
2–1 | Round of 16 |  Portugal |
1–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Brazil |
2–1 | Quarter-finals |  Paraguay |
1–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Uruguay |
3–2 | Semifinals |  Germany |
1–0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carles Puyol brought La Furia Roja to the finals, after defeating Germany through the Dramatic games
1:00 PM
Vicente del Bosque's side won their third straight game 1-0 and will now play the Netherlands in Sunday's final at Soccer City.
Spain deserved their victory after controlling huge periods of the match, but once again it was far from a vintage performance.
Del Bosque's team improved on their scrappy performance against Paraguay in the previous round but still struggled to carve out clear openings.
Spain deserved their victory after controlling huge periods of the match, but once again it was far from a vintage performance.
Del Bosque's team improved on their scrappy performance against Paraguay in the previous round but still struggled to carve out clear openings.
The winning goal came when Puyol showed great determination to atone for a poor first-half miss by heading home Xavi's corner with 17 minutes remaining.
The Euro 2008 champions, who defeated Germany 1-0 in the final of that competition, should have scored a second after striking with the sort of counter-attack that had been a trademark of their opponents' play in this competition, but Pedro failed to pick out a completely unmarked Fernando Torres.
Germany had invited pressure by adopting an increasingly deep defensive line as the match wore on - and may regret not taking the game to their opponents more while it remained goalless.
Joachim Loew's team scored four against both England and Argentina in their previous games and had illuminated the competition with their bold play.
But they had few opportunities to strike on the counter against Spain and so Germany taste defeat at the semi-final stage for the second successive World Cup.
Spain coach Del Bosque chose Wednesday's tie to drop the out-of-form Torres, drafting in Barcelona's lively young forward Pedro and deploying David Villa as a lone striker.
And while Del Bosque's team certainly looked comfortable as they worked the ball around midfield, Germany showed excellent shape and discipline, and were rarely dragged out of position.
Spain did occasionally pick holes in the German defensive structure, with Pedro playing in Villa only for keeper Manuel Neuer to deny him after only five minutes.
Puyol headed over from a firm Andres Iniesta cross, wasting an excellent chance, while a raking cross-field pass from Xabi Alonso found Sergio Ramos in space, only for the Real Madrid full-back to drill his ambitious shot wide.
Germany did not have the opportunity to launch a counter attack until the 22nd minute, but that broke down after a miscommunication between Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski.
Loew's team looked increasingly threatening as the half wore on and had what initially appeared to be a strong penalty appeal in injury-time, after Ozil went down under a clumsy challenge from Ramos.
Ozil was certainly in a very threatening position after collecting a pass from Miroslav Klose and looked to be fouled, but replays suggested the initial contact had been made outside the area.
The start of the second half was a repeat of the first in that Spain passed and probed - but this time they started to seriously threaten Neuer's goal.
Alonso twice shot wide from distance, as did Villa with a low effort he tried to curl across goal, but the impressive Pedro did force a sharp save from Neuer.
Germany were dropping ever deeper and would have fallen behind but for two near misses. The first saw Villa come within inches of converting a low Iniesta cross, while Ramos was likewise agonisingly close to converting from Alonso's angled pass.
Loew brought on Marcell Jansen and Toni Kroos for Jerome Boateng and Trochowski as he tried to change the game in his team's favour.
And Kroos forced a save after a deep cross from Podolski, but shortly afterwards Puyol struck and Spain were able to close out the match to seal their place in the final and ensure that the World Cup will have a first-time winner in 2010.
The Euro 2008 champions, who defeated Germany 1-0 in the final of that competition, should have scored a second after striking with the sort of counter-attack that had been a trademark of their opponents' play in this competition, but Pedro failed to pick out a completely unmarked Fernando Torres.
Germany had invited pressure by adopting an increasingly deep defensive line as the match wore on - and may regret not taking the game to their opponents more while it remained goalless.
Joachim Loew's team scored four against both England and Argentina in their previous games and had illuminated the competition with their bold play.
But they had few opportunities to strike on the counter against Spain and so Germany taste defeat at the semi-final stage for the second successive World Cup.
Spain coach Del Bosque chose Wednesday's tie to drop the out-of-form Torres, drafting in Barcelona's lively young forward Pedro and deploying David Villa as a lone striker.
And while Del Bosque's team certainly looked comfortable as they worked the ball around midfield, Germany showed excellent shape and discipline, and were rarely dragged out of position.
Spain did occasionally pick holes in the German defensive structure, with Pedro playing in Villa only for keeper Manuel Neuer to deny him after only five minutes.
Puyol headed over from a firm Andres Iniesta cross, wasting an excellent chance, while a raking cross-field pass from Xabi Alonso found Sergio Ramos in space, only for the Real Madrid full-back to drill his ambitious shot wide.
Germany did not have the opportunity to launch a counter attack until the 22nd minute, but that broke down after a miscommunication between Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski.
Loew's team looked increasingly threatening as the half wore on and had what initially appeared to be a strong penalty appeal in injury-time, after Ozil went down under a clumsy challenge from Ramos.
Ozil was certainly in a very threatening position after collecting a pass from Miroslav Klose and looked to be fouled, but replays suggested the initial contact had been made outside the area.
The start of the second half was a repeat of the first in that Spain passed and probed - but this time they started to seriously threaten Neuer's goal.
Alonso twice shot wide from distance, as did Villa with a low effort he tried to curl across goal, but the impressive Pedro did force a sharp save from Neuer.
Germany were dropping ever deeper and would have fallen behind but for two near misses. The first saw Villa come within inches of converting a low Iniesta cross, while Ramos was likewise agonisingly close to converting from Alonso's angled pass.
Loew brought on Marcell Jansen and Toni Kroos for Jerome Boateng and Trochowski as he tried to change the game in his team's favour.
And Kroos forced a save after a deep cross from Podolski, but shortly afterwards Puyol struck and Spain were able to close out the match to seal their place in the final and ensure that the World Cup will have a first-time winner in 2010.
Germany
|
0-1 |
|
FT |
| (HT 0-0) | Puyol, 73 | ||
Team |
|||
Germany
|
Spain
|
||
Substitutes:
| Substitutes:
| ||
| |||
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
