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2010 FIFA World Cup final

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2010 FIFA World Cup Final
Event2010 FIFA World Cup
Netherlands Spain
Netherlands Spain
0 1
Date11 July 2010
VenueSoccer City, Johannesburg
Man of the MatchAndrés Iniesta (Spain)
RefereeHoward Webb (England)[1]
Attendance84,490
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The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, to determine the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 with a goal from Andrés Iniesta four minutes from the end of extra time. The match was marked by an unusually high number of yellow cards, mostly issued to the Dutch who were criticised for their rough play.[2][3]

Both the Netherlands and Spain were attempting to win their first FIFA World Cup. The Netherlands had been beaten in the final in 1974 and 1978, while Spain's best performance had been fourth place in 1950. It was the second consecutive all-European final, and marked the first time a European team has won the trophy outside Europe.

Finalists

Prior to this game, the Netherlands and Spain had never met each other in the main tournament stages of either a World Cup or a European Championship, the two major tournaments for European international teams. In all-time head-to-head results, the teams have met nine times previously since 1920, winning four games each and drawing once, in either friendlies, European Championship qualifying games, and once in the 1920 Summer Olympics.

Neither team had won a World Cup final before. The Netherlands were runners-up twice before, losing 2–1 to West Germany in 1974, and 3–1 to Argentina in 1978. Reaching the 2010 final was Spain's best performance in the World Cup, having previously finished fourth in 1950 when the tournament had a round-robin final stage, and the quarter-finals stage in 1934, 1986, 1994 and 2002, when single elimination knock-out stages featured. Spain became the 12th different country to play in a World Cup Final, and first new team since France in 1998. The Netherlands played in its third final without a win, surpassing the record it had shared with Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Overall, Germany leads with four final losses. Spain became just the eighth country to win the World Cup, joining England and France as nations who have won it just once.

Before the match Spain had an Elo rating of 2111 points and the Netherlands a rating of 2100 points. Thus, the finalists combined for 4211 points, by far the highest for any international football match ever played, beating the previous record of 4161 combined points for the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final between Hungary and West Germany.

World Cup firsts

It is the first time since the 1978 final, when Argentina beat the Netherlands, that neither of the finalists has previously won the World Cup. It is the first World Cup final not to feature at least one of Brazil, Italy, Germany or Argentina;[4] these are historically the top four teams in terms of World Cup final appearances.

In another first for the World Cup, neither team that contested the previous final in 2006 reached the knock-out stages of the tournament. Defending champions Italy and runners-up France both finished last in Group F and Group A respectively. It is the second consecutive final which did not feature Germany or Brazil, and the third time overall since 1954, the other being 1978.

With two European finalists, it is the first time a European team has won the World Cup hosted outside of Europe. It sees Europe reaching ten World Cup titles, surpassing South America's nine titles. It is the second consecutive all-European final since the 2006 final, meaning the trophy has been won by a European team in consecutive World Cups for just the second time, the other time being when Italy won back to back in 1934 and 1938.

The match had the most yellow cards awarded in a World Cup Final (14).[5]

Spain had the fewest goals scored in the World Cup tournament for a champion (8). The previous record was 11 goals by Brazil in 1994 and England in 1966. They also had the fewest goals conceded for a champion (2), tied with Italy (2006) and France (1998).

The match was also the sixth to go to an extra time (among the 1934, 1966, 1978, 1994 and 2006 finals), and the fourth that was finally defined on it (among the 1934, 1966, and 1978 finals), two of which were lost by the Netherlands.

It was the first time since 1974 that the current Champions of Europe also win the World Cup, the last being the German national squad.[6]

Spain's victory marked the first time that a team that lost their opening World Cup finals game has gone on to win the tournament.

It was also the first time since England in 1966 that the winners of the final wore their second choice strip.

Route to the final

Spain entered the 2010 World Cup as the reigning UEFA European Football Champions, having won UEFA Euro 2008, and as the shared 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 won all eight matches in their UEFA Group 9 qualifying campaign.

Once at the finals in South Africa, the Netherlands reached the knockout stage as winners of Group E, with three wins out of three against Denmark, Japan and Cameroon, conceding only one goal. In the knockout stage, they beat World Cup debutants Slovakia, five-time champions Brazil and two-time champions Uruguay. The Netherlands reached the Final in a 25-match unbeaten streak since September 2008.

In Group H, Spain recovered from a loss to Switzerland in their opening game to beat Honduras and then Chile, finishing top of the group ahead of Chile on goal difference. In the knockout stage, they then beat their Iberian neighbours Portugal, quarter-final debutants Paraguay and three-time World Cup 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 twelve goals and conceded five, while Spain scored seven and conceded two. Going into the final, Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands and David Villa of Spain were tied as the top scorers with five goals each; Arjen Robben of the Netherlands with two was the only other player in the finalists' squads with more than one goal in the tournament.

Netherlands Round Spain
Opponent Result Group stage Opponent Result
 Denmark 2–0 Match 1   Switzerland 0–1
 Japan 1–0 Match 2  Honduras 2–0
 Cameroon 2–1 Match 3  Chile 2–1
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Netherlands 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9
Japan 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
Denmark 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 3
Cameroon 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
Final standing
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Spain 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
Chile 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6
Switzerland 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
Honduras 3 0 1 2 0 3 −3 1
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

Notable attendees

The match was attended by members of both the Dutch[7] and Spanish Royal Families. South African dignitaries and celebrities attending included Charlize Theron (actress),[8] and Jacob Zuma (President of South Africa), while Nelson Mandela (former President of South Africa) made a brief appearance before the match wheeled in by motorcart.[9] Spaniards Rafael Nadal (tennis player) and Pau Gasol (basketball player)[10] were in attendance to cheer on their team. Other international celebrities to attend the match included the American actor Morgan Freeman.[8]

Match ball

File:Adidas Jabulani Gold (1).jpg
Adidas Jo'bulani
Main article: Adidas Jabulani

The match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, revealed on 20 April 2010, was the Jo'bulani, a gold version of the Jabulani ball used for every other match in the tournament.[11] The name of the ball is a reference to "Jo'burg", a common nickname for Johannesburg, the match venue.[11] The gold colouring of the ball mirrors the colour of the FIFA World Cup Trophy and also echoes another of Johannesburg's nicknames: "the City of Gold".[11] The Jo'bulani is the second ball to be specifically produced for the FIFA World Cup Final, after the Teamgeist Berlin was used for the 2006 final.[11]

Squads

All but three members of the Spanish squad play for clubs in Spain; the other three are based in England. The Netherlands squad draws its players from clubs in five European countries, with just nine based in the Netherlands; six play in Germany, five in England, two in Italy and one in Spain.

Match officials

The referee for the final was Howard Webb, representing The Football Association of England.[1] He was assisted by fellow Englishmen Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey. Webb was the first Englishman to referee a World Cup final since Jack Taylor officiated the 1974 final between the Netherlands and West Germany.

A police officer from Rotherham, 38-year-old Webb is one of the English Select Group Referees, and has officiated Premier League matches since 2003. He was appointed to the FIFA list of international match referees in 2005, and before the World Cup, he had taken charge of the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2009 FA Cup Final.

At the 2010 World Cup, Webb refereed three games, all with Cann and Mullarkey as his assistants. In the group stage, he refereed the Spain–Switzerland and Slovakia–Italy games, and then took charge of the Brazil–Chile match in the Round of 16.[1] In those three games, he never showed a red card or awarded a penalty, but he did issue the second highest number of yellow cards in the tournament, an average of 5.67 bookings per game. With fourteen yellow cards in the final (one red card to John Heitinga – twice yellow), he easily broke the previous record of six for most cards in a World Cup final, set in 1986. Nine of these Final yellow cards came in the first 90 minutes.[12] Webb's total of 31 yellow cards throughout the tournament came to an average of 7.75 per game.

Match

Summary

File:Spanish and Dutch royal families WC2010.PNG
Queen Sofía, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia celebrate Spain's winning goal, while Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima are disconsolate

The Final was played on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0, after an extra time goal by Andrés Iniesta.[13] The win gave Spain its first World Cup title.[14]

The match was notable for the large number of yellow cards shown.[14] Fourteen yellow cards were awarded, and John Heitinga of the Netherlands was sent off in extra time - However, replays showed that both of his yellow card offenses were the result of Andres Iniesta's theatrical diving. Nigel de Jong also delivered a studs-up kick to the chest of Xabi Alonso during the first half, but escaped with a yellow card.

The Netherlands had chances to score, most notably in the 60th minute when Arjen Robben was released by Wesley Sneijder putting him one-on-one with Spain's goalkeeper Iker Casillas, but Casillas pushed the shot wide with an outstretched leg. Meanwhile, for Spain, Sergio Ramos missed a free header from a corner kick when he was unmarked.[15] With a penalty shootout seeming inevitable, Jesús Navas sprinted into opposing territory and began a series of passes that led to Iniesta finally breaking the deadlock in extra time, scoring a half-volleyed shot after receiving a pass from Cesc Fabregas.[16]

Just before the goal was scored, the Dutch team had a free kick that hit the wall and got a touch from Casillas before going out. Despite the deflection, a goal kick was given to Spain, starting the play that led to the goal, although the Dutch actually had possession of the ball near the Spanish penalty area in between the incidents. Joris Mathijsen was yellow-carded for his outburst after the goal, and other Dutch players criticised Webb for this decision after the match [17]. Others were of the opinion that the referee should have cut the Dutch players violent game [18].

Details

Netherlands 0 – 1 (a.e.t.) Spain
Report Iniesta 116'
Attendance: 84,490
Netherlands[19]
Spain[19]
Netherlands
NETHERLANDS:
GK 1 Maarten Stekelenburg
RB 2 Gregory van der Wiel Yellow card 111'
CB 3 John Heitinga Yellow card 57' Yellow-red card 109'
CB 4 Joris Mathijsen Yellow card 117'
LB 5 Giovanni van Bronckhorst (c) Yellow card 54' downward-facing red arrow 105'
CM 6 Mark van Bommel Yellow card 22'
CM 8 Nigel de Jong Yellow card 28' downward-facing red arrow 99'
RW 11 Arjen Robben Yellow card 84'
AM 10 Wesley Sneijder
LW 7 Dirk Kuyt downward-facing red arrow 71'
CF 9 Robin van Persie Yellow card 15'
Substitutions:
MF 17 Eljero Elia upward-facing green arrow 71'
MF 23 Rafael van der Vaart upward-facing green arrow 99'
DF 15 Edson Braafheid upward-facing green arrow 105'
Manager:
Bert van Marwijk
Spain
SPAIN:
GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)
RB 15 Sergio Ramos Yellow card 23'
CB 3 Gerard Piqué
CB 5 Carles Puyol Yellow card 16'
LB 11 Joan Capdevila Yellow card 67'
DM 16 Sergio Busquets
DM 14 Xabi Alonso downward-facing red arrow 87'
CM 8 Xavi Yellow card 120+1'
RW 6 Andrés Iniesta Yellow card 118'
LW 18 Pedro Rodríguez downward-facing red arrow 60'
CF 7 David Villa downward-facing red arrow 106'
Substitutions:
MF 22 Jesús Navas upward-facing green arrow 60'
MF 10 Cesc Fàbregas upward-facing green arrow 87'
FW 9 Fernando Torres upward-facing green arrow 106'
Manager:
Vicente del Bosque

Man of the Match:
Andrés Iniesta (Spain)

Assistant referees:
Darren Cann (England)[1]
Mike Mullarkey (England)[1]
Fourth official:
Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)[1]
Fifth official:
Toru Sagara (Japan)[1]

Statistics

Overall
Netherlands Spain
Goals scored 0 1
Total shots 13 18
Shots on target 5 8
Ball possession 43% 57%
Corner kicks 6 8
Fouls committed 28 18
Offsides 7 6
Yellow cards 8 5
Second yellow card & red card 1 0
Red cards 0 0

See also

Wikinews has related news:
  • Paul the Octopus, an English-born octopus that accurately picked the outcome of every match Germany played in addition to the final between Spain and the Netherlands

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Referee designations: matches 63–64". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article545898.ece/Spain-lauded-Dutch-castigated-for-brutal-World-Cup-final
  3. ^ http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/blatter-and-dutch-condemn-dirty-world-cup-final
  4. ^ Johnson, George (10 July 2010). "Expect Spain to reign in World Cup final". Vancouver Sun. Vancouver: Canwest News Service. Retrieved 10 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  5. ^ Thomas, Greig. "Referee Howard Webb makes history after flashing cards galore in World Cup Final". Daily Record. Glasgow: Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 12 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ World Cup 2010 Winner – Spain Over Netherlands
  7. ^ "Willem Alexander en Máxima bij WK-finale" (in Dutch). Algemeen Dagblad. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  8. ^ a b Freeman, Theron among celebs to attend World Cup final.
  9. ^ "Mandela estará en el Soccer City pero no se quedará a ver la final" (in Spanish). MARCA.com. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
  10. ^ "Apoyo de lujo para La Roja en la gran final" (in Spanish). MARCA.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  11. ^ a b c d "Glittering golden ball for Final". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Spain are world football champions". Aljazeera. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  13. ^ Stevenson, Jonathan (11 July 2010). "Netherlands 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b Dall, James (11 July 2010). "World domination for Spain". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Retrieved 11 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Netherlands 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Spain beat Holland 1–0 to win World Cup". AFP. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  17. ^ "World Cup 2010: Dutch coach criticises referee Webb". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  18. ^ "World Cup Final Needed More Red Cards". The New York Times. The New York Times. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  19. ^ a b "Tactical Line-up – Final – Netherlands-Spain" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
Spain men's national football team results
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