Memorable Moments:
Siphiwe Tshabalala's Opening Goal - Surely a man called Zinedine Zidane II wouldn't disappoint, and South Africa's best player for the tournament scored the first goal of the World Cup on an absolute rocket to the far top corner with his dominant left foot on a breakaway. South Africa couldn't really keep that kind of performance up, but it was a fantastic opening to the tournament.
France's Implosion - France has a lot of top class talent, but without someone to gel their team like Zidane, it was unclear how Les Bleus would perform. Raymond Domenech entered South Africa the most hated man in France, and returned second to Nicolas Anelka, who was dismissed for his insubordinate actions. In response, the top French players , Ribery, Evra, etc., decided to organize the players and not practice before their final group stage game.
Lionel Messi vs. Vincent Enyeama (and pretty much every other goalkeeper) - Messi failed to find the scorecard in South Africa, but his best chances came against Nigeria, and it evolved into a personal battle for Enyeama to make save after save from Messi's shots that would find the back of the net against almost everyone else. Nigeria went home early, but Enyeama was one of the top shot stoppers of the tournament.
The Hand of Clod (Robert Green, ENG) - A soft Clint Dempsey shot up the middle seemed like an easy catch for the West Ham 'keeper, but he decided to not get in front of the ball and it bounced off of him and into the back of the net. Probably summarizes England's time in South Africa.
Italy Sent Home - Gli Azzuri were sent home early, with the reigning world champs failing to win a game, even finishing behind New Zealand.
Pretty Much Anything Having to do With North Korea - From Jong Tae-Se guaranteeing a goal a game, to outsourcing their fan base to China, to almost beating Brazil to then losing 7-0, to have the worst player in the tournament, to always wondering how Kim Jong-Il would kill them, they were fun to have around. Especially in the group of death.
New Zealand. What? - It was a great 3 games for kiwi soccer, who no one thought would have scored against the likes of Slovakia, Paraguay, and defending champs Italy.
The Final Two South American Teams Remaining Were the 'Guays - Wait. . .WHAT??
The Yanks - The best team we've ever fielded, and the world was out to get us. Coming back 2 goals down against Slovenia, Koman Coulibaly denied us a clear goal, and another goal was ruled offsides against Algeria. BUT LANDON DONAVAN IN STOPPAGE TIME AHHHHHHH
Dark Horses - The 'Guays, Small Slavic Countries, South Korea, Japan, Ghana sans Essien, Chile, Switzerland
Spain finally getting their act together - Spain won each knockout game by the score of 1-0, but never looked like they deserved their victories until they defeated an upstart German team that should be favorites in Brazil
Spain Winning, of Course - YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
RVP/VDV/Sneijder/Kuyt/Robben - Can you ASK for a better attacking 5??
The Best Moment of FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa -
Tied 1-1 going into added time of the second extra period, Ghana launched a full out assault against helpless Uruguay. after a barrage of just barely saved shots, Luis Suarez swatted the ball down, giving Ghana the penalty. Asamoah Gyan, Ghana's penalty taker, had already coolly put away two penalties in the group stage, so Ghana was ready to become the first African team to move onto the semifinals. Sure enough, Gyan missed the penalty, sending the game to a shootout, where Uruguay subsequently won, even taking a dump on Ghana by winning on a chipped penalty. Suarez, more known for his attacking prowess, will be remembered for one of the greatest red cards in history.
World Cup XI
----------------Casillas-----------------
Maicon--Lugano-Mertesacker-Coentrao
------------Schweinsteiger--------------
------Muller----Xavi------Sanchez------
-----------Forlan------Villa-------------
First Team:
Iker Casillas (ESP)
Maicon (BRA)
Fabio Coentrao (POR)
Diego Lugano (URU)
Per Mertesacker (GER)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER)
Thomas Muller (GER)
Xavi Hernandez (ESP)
Diego Forlan (URU)
David Villa (ESP)
Alexis Sanchez (CHI)
Reserves:
Manuel Neuer (GER)
Justo Villar (PAR)
Jorge Fucile (URU)
Phillip Lahm (GER)
Sergio Ramos (ESP)
Wesley Sniejder (NED)
Diego Perez (URU)
Arjen Robben (NED)
Andres Iniesta (ESP)
Clint Dempsey (USA)
Keisuke Honda (JPN)
Robert Vittek (SVK)
Records and Milestones Spain Broke:
- Fewest Goals Scored by World Cup Winner (8)
- Most Consecutive minutes Clean Sheet kept at a World Cup Final for Spain (Iker Casillas, 434)
- First team to lose opening game and win World Cup (ESP 0-1 SUI, NED 0-1 ESP)
- Best disciplinary record
- First World Cup in nations history
- First team to win European Championship then World Cup
- First European Team to win a World Cup not held in Europe
Awards Ceremony:
Best Player: Diego Forlan (URU)
Best Goal: Any David Villa Goal
Best Hair: Fabio Coentrao (POR)
Best Eyes: Jesus Navas (ESP)
Antonio Valencia Award for best young player from South America no one's ever heard of: Alexis Sanchez (CHI)
Best Young Player: Luis Suarez (URU)
And Now, a Look Ahead. . .
Brazil 2014. 4 long years away. So much can happen in that time. If I had to call it now, Germany will win. They average age of their team is just 24, and will be 28 if not younger in Brazil, so if their players keep maturing and progressing, Germany will be unstoppable. A team I think that will turn a lot of heads is Belgium. They've got a ton on great young players like Thomas Vermaelen, Marouane Fellaini, Axel Witsel, and Moussa Dembele to name a few. Keep your eyes open for the Belgians to make a shock run during the next world cup or two.
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