World Cup Football 2010 Best Eleven

It has been a week FIFA World Cup 2010 finished. The one-month-long tournament kicked off on 11 June in Johannesburg, South Africa. Spain clinched the title for the first time and has become the only 8^th football playing country to have achieved this feat.

A number of lesser-known player players like Asamoah Gyan, Giovani dos Santos got sudden stardom because of their impressive performances, while the star players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry were super flop.

South Asia Blog has made its own best eleven for World Cup Football 2010 considering the performance of the players in the tournament. Here is the South Asia Blog best eleven and substitutes for the FIFA World Cup 2010:

Formation: 4-1-4-1

Best Eleven

Iker Casillas (Spain), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Carles Puyol (Spain), Lucio (Brazil), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Thomas Muller (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Mesut Ozil (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Substitutes: Maarten Stekelenburg (Netherlands), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Gerard Piqué (Spain), Jérôme Boateng (Germany), Mark van Bommel (Netherlands), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Xavi (Spain), Messi (Argentina), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana

Goalkeepers

Spain captain Iker Casillas is the ultimate choice for the no. 1 position thanks to some of his match-winning performances, especially in the knockout stage of the tournament including his penalty save against Paraguay. Casillas conceded only 2 goals in total and both of them came in the group stage- meaning he did not concede any goal in the knock out rounds.

Dutch keeper Stekelenburg has been put among the substitutes ahead of Germany’s Manuel Neuer and Portugal’s Eduardo. Neuer and Eduardo both were impressive, but Stekelenburg deserves the place more because he was instrumental behind Netherlands’ progress to the semi final.

Defenders

The right back position goes to wingback Sergio Ramos. Some people may question this choice by stressing on the performance of Germany captain Philipp Lahm who has been put in the substitute bench. However, Ramos has been included mainly because of his attacking intent and contribution to Spain’s attack, without compromising his contribution to the defense. Brazilian Maicon was another strong candidate for the position.

Netherlands captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst takes the left back position ahead of Germany’s Jérôme Boateng, Spain’s Capdevila and Portugal’s Fábio Coentrão. Boateng has been included among the substitutes.

In the center, Spain’s Carles Puyol and Brazil captain Lucio have been chosen. Another strong candidate Spanish center back Gerard Piqué takes a substitute place. Per Mertesacker and Joris Mathijsen were two other contenders.

Midfielders

Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger has clinched the only place of holding midfielder ahead of Mark van Bommel, Khedira, Busquets, Xabi Alonso and Felipe Melo.

Choosing two attacking midfielders was the hardest part. It was really hard to drop Xavi and Messi in the substitutes’ bench, but Sneijder and Ozil also deserve their places.

Golden boot winner Thomas Muller was the ultimate choice for the right wing position, while Andrés Iniesta has been placed among the substitutes. Robben and Giovani dos Santos were two other strong contenders for this position.

Spanish striker David Villa has been included as the left winger and people may question this decision, but Villa played in the same position in the first few matches of the tournament and playing Villa in this position allows the inclusion of two attacking midfielders. Podolski is among the substitutes, while Kuyt, Pedro, André Ayew and Jansen were all in the shortlist.

Strikers

Tournament’s best player Diego Forlan was an easy choice for the lone striker’s position. Germany’s Klose and Ghana’s Gyan have been included in the substitutes’ bench, while Luis Fabiano, Róbert Vittek and Luis Suárez were also in the race.

Should People Blame Dunga for the Failure of Brazil in World Cup?

Brazil suffered an early exit from the World Cup Football 2010 after losing to Netherlands 2-1 in the quarter final. Coach Dunga has been fully criticized for Brazil’s failure in South Africa.

Now, the question remains if Dunga was responsible for Brazil’s disaster or he was just a readymade scapegoat Brazil found after their failure in the World Cup.

Dunga suffered a lot of criticism since taking over as the coach of Brazil team four years back following another disastrous performance in 2006 World Cup. There are some former Brazilian greats who opposed Dunga’s defensive approach being installed in the Brazilian team.

There is no doubt, Brazil always loves to play ‘Jogo Bonito’ meaning ‘The Beautiful Game’ and Brazil’s fans across the world also expect beautiful football from them. However, Dunga’s Brazil was more concerned with their defense and featured two defensive minded midfielders in Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo.

Well, people should first consider the following points before blaming Dunga for Brazil’s failure in the World Cup:

First of all, it is true that the current Brazilian side could not play like the team of 2002 or 1998 World Cup. However, it is also true the current Brazilian team does not have the players like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos and Cafu. Playing beautiful football is not possible without the players of their quality. It does not mean that Brazil’s current players do no have talent or quality, but the fact is that their quality can not match that of Ronaldo or Ronaldinho.

So, Dunga had to adapt with the resources he got in hand and there is nothing wrong in focusing more on defense rather than trying to emulate what Ronaldo and Rivaldo did with the players like Robinho or an under-performed Kaka.

Secondly, there are people who would agree that Brazil played ‘Jogo Bonito’ in the first half of the quarter final against Netherlands, but the dominating Brazilians suddenly lost their intensity at the start of the second half. It looked they were just roaming around on the pitch without having any definite goal in mind. Specially, the two goals they conceded clearly show lack of concentration among the Brazilian players.

Thirdly, Dunga tried his best to feature beautiful football as much as possible. Except the North Korea match, Brazil improved after every single match in terms of building up attacks.

Dunga featured two wingbacks in Maicon and Michel Bastos who always contributed in attack, while Kaka was struggling to find his best. Robinho and Elano tried to set up opportunities for Fabiano, while Lucio, Juan, Gilberto and Melo ensured flawless defending, except the second half of the Netherlands game.

Overall, Dunga did his best to deliver something with this not-so-great Brazil team, and people should not blame him for Brazil’s failure. The upcoming coach of Brazil should concentrate more on young talented players like Santos striker Neymar ahead of Copa America 2011 and FIFA World Cup 2014 at home.

Diego Forlan Gets the Golden Boot as the Best Player

Diego Forlan has become the best player of FIFA World Cup 2010 and won the prestigious Golden Ball award of the tournament. Winner of this award is decided through a voting among the representatives of media. Diego Forlan clinched the top spot in the pool, leaving behind two other strong contenders Wesley Sneijder from Netherlands and David Villa from Spain.

Though Uruguay failed to reach the tournament final and clinch the third place position, the South Americans matched their success in the 1970 World Cup where they finished fourth, their second best performance in the history of World Cup. Scoring 5 goals and making 1 assist, Diego Forlan played the key role behind Uruguay’s progress to the last four of the tournament for the first time in 40 years.

Along with Luis Suarez, Forlan formed a lethal combination in attack that possessed considerable amount of threats for the opponents. Apart from Suarez and Forlan, there was no other star player in Uruguay squad. Still, they reached the semi final mainly because of Forlan’s consistent performance throughout the tournament.

Three out of his five goals came at the knock out stage including the equalizing goal in Uruguay’s quarter final victory over Ghana. The 31-year-old also scored in the semi final and the third place matches, though his team lost both the games.

Diego Forlan came into the tournament on the back of a successful season with Atletico Madrid and has effectively carried on his excellent club form in the World Cup Football 2010. Overall, the Uruguayan star really deserves to be awarded by the Golden Ball award.

World Cup Football 2010: List of Awards

Spain is the new World Cup winner now after their 1-0 victory over Netherlands in Sunday night’s final. There are some other prestigious individual and team awards which have also been announced by FIFA.

Golden Boot: Thomas Muller (Germany)

German youngster Thomas Muller has won the Golden Boot of FIFA World Cup 2010. The 20-year-old Bayern Munich prodigy has clinched the award with 5 goals and 3 assists to his name. There were three other contenders in Wesley Sneijder, David Villa and Diego Forlan as they also scored 5 goals each, but the award goes to Muller as he has more assists than the three other players. Villa won the Silver Boot as he played less time than the Bronze Boot winner Sneijder.

Golden Ball: Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Five goals and 1 assist may not best describe the kind of effect Diego Forlan had on the success of his team in the World Cup 2010. He was instrumental behind Uruguay’s fourth place finish, a feat they achieved for the first time since 1970. The 31-year-old striker was the key figure in orchestrating Uruguayan attacks.

Though the likes of Wesley Sneijder, David Villa were the favorites for the award, Forlan got highest amount of votes in a pool of accredited media personnel. Given his immense impact on the overall performance of Uruguay, Diego Forlan truly deserves the Golden Ball.

Wesley Sneijder came second in the pool and won the Silver Ball, while David Villa clinched the Bronze Ball finishing third.

Golden Glove (best goalkeeper): Iker Casillas (Spain)

The Spanish goalkeeper has not only become Spain’s first ever World Cup-winning captain, the Real Madrid star has also clinched the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper of the tournament. He bounced back strongly after the opening game debacle against Switzerland and saved Spain many times in the rest of the tournament including the penalty save against Paraguay.

Casillas conceded only 2 goals in total and both were in the Group Stage- meaning he did not concede any goal in the four knock out stage matches. Germany’s Manuel Neuer and Netherlands’ Maarten Stekelenburg were the two other contenders for the award.

Best Young Player: Thomas Muller

Thomas Muller was the outright favorite to win this award. In fact, the two other members of FIFA shortlist, Giovani Dos Santos and Andre Ayew, could not even come close to claim the award. No doubt, Dos Santos and Ayew showed their talent, but it was the young German who won the title scoring 5 goals and making 3 assists. Four out of his 5 goals came in the knock out stage and all were in winning causes, and that is enough to prove how important he was to the German success.

FIFA Fair Play Award: Spain

Spain has been awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award for their impressive disciplinary record in the tournament. They picked up 8 yellow cards and none of their players received marching order in the tournament. The Spaniards received 5 out of their 8 yellow cards in the tournament final. They caused total 68 fouls and their players were fouled by opponents on 125 times. England, South Korea, Argentina and Japan were also in the race to win the award, but Spain stood out in the end.

Spain Becomes World Cup Football 2010 Champion

Spain has become the champion of FIFA World Cup 2010 after defeating Netherlands 1-0 thanks to an extra time strike from Andres Iniesta. This is the first time, Spain has clinched the World Cup title and they have become the only second European team after Germany (then West Germany) to win the title as the current European Champion.

Spain dominated in the first half and came very close to scoring on at least 3 occasions. Sergio Ramos missed a very good chance in the box, but his header went just wide off the target. Then David Villa’s powerful shot from the left side went out.

Ramos once again got a good chance on the right flank, but the Dutch defense was up to the mark to clear it. Netherlands got their only chance in the first half, but Spain as well as their captain Iker Casillas was lucky that the long range shot was off the target.

Though Spain still played better in the second half, Netherlands improved on their first half performance. Spain created a number of scoring opportunities, but Maarten Stekelenburg made some excellent saves and denied the Spaniards. However, Arjen Robben got Casillas in one-to-one situation on two occasions, but could not open scoring for his team.

In the extra time, Stekelenburg once again saved the Dutch when he excellently blocked a Fabregas shot in the first half. Spain finally got the winning goal through Andres Iniesta who scored just 4 minutes off the final whistle. Netherlands players claimed for off-side, but TV replays cleared all the doubts.

In many senses, it was a very nervy affair with both sides missing many opportunities. There is no doubt, Spain played better than Netherlands throughout the game and they deserved the victory.

To some extent, the Dutch side played some rough football and defender John Heitinga received the marching order in the 20^th minute of extra time for illegally tackling at the edge of the box. Besides Heitinga’s send-off, eight of the Dutch players were booked during the game, while Spain picked up 5 yellow cards.

Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth Missed First Net Session in Sri Lanka

Two key Indian bowlers Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth missed the first team net session in Sri Lanka due to fitness problem. it is a definitely a matter of worry for team India ahead of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board President XI starting from 13 July.

Harbhajan Singh was absent in the net session due to fever, while Sreesanth took rest as he was feeling some problems on his knee. However, BCCI has not revealed anything on the nature of his injury and if he would be available for the warm-up match.

However, Indian batsmen did not have to suffer for lack of net bowlers as BCCI sent two extra bowlers in Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav only to be used in the nets. Few days back, Zaheer Khan was ruled out of the upcoming test series because of injury, and thus, reducing India’s options in pace attack.

In the absence of Zaheer, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth are supposed to lead the Indian pace attack. So, the knee problem of Sreesanth has added to India’s worry.

Harbhajan Singh is the key spinner for the visitors. It is pretty much understandable that missing the off spinner in Sri Lankan condition would be a big blow for Team India. However, it is expected that Harbhajan would get back his full fitness before the three-match test series begins on 18 July in Galle.

Spain vs Netherlands Preview and Live Scores: FIFA World Cup 2010

Keeping all the focus on the World Cup title, Spain and Netherlands are going to face each other in the tournament final on 11 July at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. Both sides are looking for their first ever World Cup gory and are ready to give more than hundred percent to clinch the title.

Time

The match begins at 18:30 GMT and 20:30 local time.

Live Score

Football fans can get the live score of the match in the following link:

http://livescore.worldcup.football-data.co.uk/#e_761310

Road to Final

Spain started the tournament with a 1-0 shocking defeat to Switzerland in their opening group match. Now, they could become the first and only team in the history to win the World Cup title after losing the first match of the tournament. Spain bounced back from the defeat winning the next two matches against Honduras and Chile, and finished at the top in Group H.

In the knock out stage, Spain defeated Portugal and Paraguay in the round of 16 and quarter final respectively by the same 1-0 margins, and David Villa scored the solitary goal in each of the two victories. Spain then defeated Germany in the last four thanks to a Carles Puyol strike.

Netherlands won all of their group stage matches for the first time in this tournament. They defeated Denmark, Japan and Cameroon to clinch the top spot of Group E. The Dutch then knocked out Slovakia in the round of 16, before clinching a memorable come-from-back 2-1 victory over the tournament favorite Brazil in the quarter final. Netherlands then defeated Uruguay 3-2 in the semi final to reach the tournament final, their third in the history of World Cup.

Both teams are perhaps the two most underachieved football powerhouses at the moment. Neither of them is yet to taste the World Cup title. Spain’s best finish came when they clinched the fourth place in 1950 World Cup, while Netherlands’ record is a bit better as they were the losing finalists of 1974 and 1978 World Cup tournaments.

Netherlands has been in excellent form recently. The Dutch side now holds a record of winning 14 consecutive matches in World Cup qualifiers and World Cup finals. Moreover, they would become the only second team after 1970’s World Cup winning Brazil side to clinch the World Cup title after winning all the matches of qualifying round and finals.

Spain may not have any great success in the World Cup history, but they are the reigning champion of Europe and could become the first European Champions to win the World Cup title. They have some top class players like David Villa, Xavi and Iniesta, the three key players of Spain’s attacking line up. Spanish defense is also very strong in the presence of two strong center backs in Puyol and Pique. Spain is most likely to play the same eleven featured against Germany.

Netherlands would expect another impressive performance from the Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben. However, holding midfielder Mark van Bommel also possess considerable amount of threat for the Spaniards. He was instrumental behind the recent success of the Dutch in the tournament.

Detailed Information about Closing Ceremony of World Cup Football 2010

FIFA World Cup 2010 has reached at its near end. Football world would get a new world champion tonight (11 July) after the end of the final match between Spain and Netherlands at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Before the kick off of the match, there would be a colorful closing ceremony starting from 18:30 local time (South Africa time) and 16:30 GMT. According to USA time, this seemingly spectacular ceremony begins in New York time at 12:30 and in California time at 09:30. Football fans in India can watch the program from 22:00.

The 30-minute-long closing ceremony would see a number of international stars entertaining the football fans around the world. About 500 million people from 215 countries across the world are going to watch the closing ceremony live on television.

One of the biggest attractions of the FIFA World Cup 2010 closing ceremony is the performance of Colombian pop singer Shakira. The 33-year-old pop star would perform the ‘Waka Waka’ song which is the official anthem of World Cup Football 2010. She also sang this song in the opening ceremony of the tournament.

‘Waka Waka’ has been a mega hit internationally and has been no. 1 in music charts of 15 countries. In internet, this was the most viewed video in June with the song being viewed more than 85 million times on You Tube. At the closing ceremony, Shakira would perform the song along with a local band named Freshlyground.

Besides Shakira, there will some other international award-winning musicians. Grammy award-winning artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Slikour, Stoan Seate, Zuluboy, Jozi and Abigali Kubeka. Flutist Wouter, and Ihasti Elimphlophe, a South African group, are also going to feature at the ceremony. Some other artists from various countries of African continent would also perform at the closing ceremony including Theo Kgosinkwe, 2Face from Nigeria, Nianell, Samini from Ghana and other Afrikaan artists.

Moreover, this grand ceremony would also present some spectacular displays of lighting and special effects. Some international celebrities like Hollywood stars Leonardo di Caprio and Charlize Theron would attend the closing ceremony and enjoy the final match.

Spain vs Netherlands: Mark van Bommel Could be Decisive

Spain and Netherlands are heading into tonight’s much awaited World Cup final in Johannesburg. Both sides have some in-form key players who would like to put on a dominating show and win the match for their teams.

People are now busy discussing about the players like David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, Xavi and Arjen Robben. However, the Dutch holding midfielder Mark van Bommel could be the decisive factor in the match.

Mark van Bommel has been one of the most reliable players for Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk. It is not because he is the son-in-law of the Netherlands coach, rather it is because the way he has been nullifying the opposition attacks so far in the tournament. He has been successfully intercepting the opposition passes in the build up of their attacks. Even if needed, he takes the ugly route too by hard-tackling the opposition players.

To many, Bommel’s style may not go with beautiful football, but his strong physical presence in front of the Dutch backline has acted as a shield for the Dutch defense. His reliability has allowed Sneijder, Robben and Kuyt the complete freedom of concentrating only on attack. Along with Nigel de Jong, Bommel ensured a flawless Dutch defense.

Netherlands fans may not bother about whether Bommel plays ugly or beautiful football. They just want to win the World Cup title for the first time. Netherlands players know it very well that playing beautiful football has no value if they can not win the title.

The kind of dominance Johan Cruyff showed during their 1974 World Cup would be cherished by millions of football fans forever, but the bottom line is that they could not win the title in 1974 and 1978, being the losing finalists on both occasions.

Moreover, this is an age where showing complete dominance is very tough and winning matches single-handedly is almost impossible. Now-a-days, opposition teams always do their home works, taking helps from modern technology, and do everything they can to stop the opponent’s key players.

There are some other teams who also heavily relied on their holding midfielders in the World Cup Football 2010. Maradona made Javier Mascherano captain, while Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger has been one of the best players of the tournament. Gilberto Silva has done his job for Brazil, while Sergio Busquets has been pretty much impressive for Spain so far in the tournament. So, there is nothing wrong if Dutch coach wants another impressive or so-called ‘ugly’ performance from Bommel.

Muller, Villa, Sneijder: Who will Win Golden Boot of World Cup 2010?

World Cup Football 2010 will come to an end on Sunday (11 July) with the final match of the tournament being taken place between Spain and Netherlands at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. Aside from the World Cup title, there are some individual titles up for grabs too, and Golden Boot is one of them.

Golden Boot is awarded to the top scorer of the tournament. At the moment, there are 4 players who have scored 5 goals each so far in the tournament. They are Thomas Muller from Germany, David Villa from Spain, Wesley Sneijder from Netherlands, and Diego Forlan from Uruguay.

Villa and Sneijder have the opportunity to increase their goal tally through the final match, but there is a possibility the tournament could end up with four top scorers. In that case, the number of assists they made during the tournament would come into effect to break the tie. If it is still not broken, then the player with the least amount of time stayed on the field would win the Golden Boot.

Considering the aforementioned FIFA rules to break the tie between the players, it seems there are now only 3 players in the race to win the Golden Boot of World Cup Football 2010. They are Thomas Muller, David Villa and Wesley Sneijder.

Thomas Muller (Germany)

Goal: 5, Assists: 3, Playing time: 473 minutes

Thomas Muller is now ahead of Villa and Sneijder in the race to secure the prestigious title with more assists and least amount of playing time. Muller has 3 assists to his credit and has played 473 minutes during his 6 appearances in the tournament. So, if Villa and Sneijder can not increase their number of goals or assists, then 20-year-old Muller would win the title.

Wesley Sneijder

Goal: 5, Assists: 2, Playing time: approximately 533 minutes

Wesley Sneijder currently comes second among the three players in terms of number of assists. Besides scoring 5 goals, he made 2 assists (until semi final match), one less than Muller but one more than Villa. However, when it comes to playing time, he comes at the bottom. So, Sneijder would now like to add to his goal tally by finding the net against Spain in the final. If Villa can not score, then Sneijder just needs to increase his number of assists to win the Golden Boot.

David Villa

Goal: 5, Assists: 1, Playing time: 529 minutes

David Villa has been instrumental in most of Spain’s victories so far in the tournament. However, to win the Golden Boot, he must increase his goal tally in the tournament final because he has least amount of assists (just 1 so far) among the three contenders at the moment. Though Villa played around 4 minutes less than Sneijder, it would not have any value if the Dutch scores in the final because then Villa has to increase his number of goals as well as number of assists to win the title.

Interestingly, all the three players made 6 appearances each so far and all of those were in the starting line up. Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan also has 5 goals to his credit, but he has made only 1 assist. As he has no more game left in hand to increase his goals or assists, Forlan is now out of the race.

Germany vs Uruguay Time and Live Score: FIFA World Cup 2010

Germany and Uruguay are going to face each other in the third place deciding match of the World Cup Football 2010 on 10 July at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. With both sides looking to finish the campaign on high, it could be an entertaining match for the football fans.

Time

The match kicks off at 18:30 GMT and 20:30 local time. Football fans in Germany can watch the match live on TV from 20:30. According to Uruguay time, the match starts at 15:30. In USA, the match begins at 14:30 (New York time) and 11:30 (California time). As per India time, the match starts at 00:00 AM (midnight).

Live Score

To get the live score of the match, visit the following link:

http://www.livescore.com/

Germany had been in sparkling form before their semi final defeat to Spain. They knocked out two favorites England and Argentina with sheer ease in the round of 16 and quarter final respectively. However, it looked German players lost their spark against Spain. So, they would now like to finish the World Cup mission on high note by puting on a dominating performance against Uruguay and clinch the third spot in the tournament.

Uruguay would also love to win the third place by defeating Germany for a number of reasons. First of all, it would solace the disappointed Uruguayan fans who were dreaming of bringing their 1950 success back this year.

Moreover, a victory over Germany would give Uruguay a psychological boost as they could then claim that their progress to the semi final of the tournament was not a fluke. Uruguay faced South Korea and Ghana in the round of 16 and quarter final, before losing to Netherlands 3-2 in the semi final. So, there are many who believe the South Americans could come this far only because they faced comparatively easier opponents and their defeat to Netherlands also gives some ground to those claims.

German fans would also expect Miroslav Klose scoring at least a goal against Uruguay. One more World Cup goal from Klose would see him equaling Ronaldo’s 15-goal all time World Cup record. Moreover, the 32-yer-old striker still has a chance to win the Golden Boot. Klose, with 4 goals so far in the tournament, is now just a goal behind David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, two joint top scorers of the tournament.

However, Klose is doubtful for the match as he is now recovering from a minor back injury and missed training session recently. Moreover, a number of German players are currently suffering from flu and missed team training. However, there is every possibility Klose and other players could get over their problems and be available for the match.

While Germany is worried about Klose, Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan is now suffering from a thigh injury picked up during the semi final showdown. However, Forlan is confident of getting back his full fitness in time to be in the starting line up against Germany. Forlan has also scored 4 goals and is still a contender for the Golden Boot award.

Another in-form Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez would come back for the Germany encounter after missing the Netherlands clash due to suspension. Suarez suffered huge criticism recently for stopping a goal-bound ball by hands on the goal line against Ghana and picked up a straight red card. FIFA disciplinary committee also looked into the matter and the striker narrowly escaped a bigger punishment.

German striker and winger Thomas Muller is also available for the match after serving a one-match suspension. Muller also has 4 goals and would like to increase his goal tally in his bid to win the Golden Boot award. Moreover, he is also the strongest contender to win the Best Young Player award.

Thomas Muller: Best Young Player of FIFA World Cup 2010?

There are only 2 matches left in the FIFA World Cup 2010 with Spain and Netherlands are aspiring to become the new world champion for the next four years. Besides the tournament title, there are a number of prestigious individual awards up for grabs and a number of players are now in the race to win those awards.

However, there is at least one award which seems to have already been decided and that is the ‘Best Young Player’ award, which is officially called "Gillette Best Young Player." It seems this award would go to German youngster Thomas Muller this year.

The 20-year-old Bayern Munich striker has already proven his skill and talent by scoring 4 goals himself and setting up 3 goals for his teammates. With 4 goals, Muller is also one of the contenders for the Golden Boot award. The most important thing is that his speed, agility in attack and scoring prowess indicate that another German star, if not legend, is now in the making.

His teammate Mesut Ozil could have been the biggest competitor for the ‘Best Young Player’ award, but Ozil is not under 21 years of age, a criterion to be eligible for this award. The official rule says that a player to be eligible for this award must be under 21 years of age at the beginning of the current calendar year.

So, it is pretty much understandable that Thomas Muller does not have any strong competitor to win this award. Coming off a highly successful season with Bayern Munich during which he scored 19 goals in 52 appearances, Thomas Muller has already impressed in the World Cup too and is now the strongest contender to win the "Gillette Best Young Player" award of FIFA World Cup 2010.

Time and Venue of Spain vs Netherlands World Cup 2010 Final Match

Football world is now eagerly waiting to know who between Spain and Netherlands is going to become the new world champion. The answer will come on 11 July after the tournament final being taken place at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.

Time

The final match kicks off at 18:30 GMT and 20:30 local time. Football fans in Spain and Netherlands would be able to watch the match live on television from 20:30. In USA, the match begins in New York time at 14:30 and California time at 11:30. According to India time, the match starts at 24:00 (00:00 AM) on 12 July.

Venue

The final match will be held at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. The stadium is situated in Nasrec, a suburb of Johannesburg. Nicknamed ‘The Calabash’, the stadium is largest in African continent with a seating capacity of 94,700 people.

During the ongoing World Cup 2010, however, the capacity has been decreased to 84,490 as there are around 10,000 seats reserved for the VIP’s and media personnel. The stadium could be declared as the National Stadium of South Africa in future, and only the football and rugby matches would take place in this stadium.

Neither Spain nor Netherlands has ever won the World Cup title. Netherlands have previous experience of playing in two World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978, while Spain’s best World Cup achievement came in 1950 when they finished 4^th in the tournament.

So, it is pretty much certain that football world would see a new champion in the history of World Cup on Sunday. This year, World Cup title would go to Europe for the 10^th time, and thus, making Europe the most successful continent in World Cup. Most importantly, a European team is going to win the World Cup title for the first time outside Europe.

David Villa: Two More Goals to be Highest Scorer for Spain

With Spain and Netherlands facing each other in the final of World Cup Football 2010, Spanish striker David Villa has a number of individual achievements to accomplish. The first and the foremost is becoming the all time highest goal scorer for Spain.

Former Spain captain Raul currently holds the record for all-time highest scorer for Spain with 44 international goals in 102 appearances. David Villa has already scored 43 goals for Spain in 64 matches. So, if Villa can score 2 more goals against Netherlands in the tournament final, he would surpass Raul’s record.

Moreover, David Villa is now in the race to win the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards of FIFA World Cup 2010, after scoring 5 very important goals for Spain so far in this tournament. Though he is facing tough competition from Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder for both the awards, Villa could clinch both of them by showing another tremendous performance in the final.

David Villa has already become one of the most prolific goal scorers in the history of Spanish football. Villa is now the highest scorer for Spain in World Cup with 8 goals to his credit. He also holds the record for scoring in most consecutive international matches for his country by netting at least 1 goal in 6 consecutive matches.

Moreover, scoring 5 goals in the current World Cup, David Villa has already matched Emilio Butragueno’s Spanish record for most goals in a particular World Cup tournament. So, one more goal in the tournament final would make Villa the highest scorer for Spain in one World Cup tournament.

So, there are many records up for grabs for the 28-year-old striker who has recently joined Barcelona from Valencia. Now, it would be interesting to see if David Villa can live up to the expectation.

Who will Win the Golden Boot: World Cup Football 2010?

While Spain and Netherlands are eyeing on their first World Cup title, a number of players are now in the race of winning the Golden Boot award which is given to the top scorer of the tournament.

Golden Boot award has been being awarded since the first World Cup tournament in 1930. Now, the question is who is going to win the award this year.

Well, there are a number of contenders including Spain’s David Villa and Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, both of whom scored 5 goals each so far in the tournament. Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller and Diego Forlan are also very much in the race with 4 goals to their name. All of them have 1 match in hand to increase their goal tally.

Striker David Villa has been the best performer for Spain so far in the tournament. Each of his 5 goals in 6 matches came in winning causes for Spain. The only match that Spain won without David Villa scoring was their 1-0 semi final victory over Germany. Villa, who was also the top scorer of Euro 2008, is now just two goals away from being the all time top scorer for Spain surpassing Raul’s record 44 international goals.

Wesley Sneijder may be an attacking midfielder, but the 26-year-old has already proven that he is not far behind form a striker when it comes to scoring. The Inter Milan star scored 5 goals of which 4 came in the last 3 matches of the knock out round.

Most importantly, his two goals against Brazil were instrumental behind the Dutch victory over the five-time world champion. Sneijder is now, in fact, one of the strongest contenders for both Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards.

For Germany, the World Cup may have already finished, even though they have a third place-deciding match against Uruguay. However, for German striker Miroslav Klose, the tournament is not yet finished as he still has the chance to surpass Ronaldo’s record 15 World Cup goals to become the all time highest scorer of the tournament. He already has 14 goals to his name including this year’s 4, and now needs two more to clinch this record.

Thomas Muller is arguably the best young player of the tournament. There are many who believe that his suspension for the semi final match against Spain was one of the reasons behind the German defeat. Showing his talent and scoring prowess, Muller has netted 4 goals so far in the tournament. As Muller is returning against Uruguay, he still has a chance to win the Golden Boot.

Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan is another contender to become the highest scorer of the tournament. He has 4 goals to his credit and the 31-year-old would like to increase his goal tally by scoring against Germany. Though Uruguay could not reach the tournament final, the South Americans would now look for a special performance from Diego Forlan and go back home with the third place title.

Spain vs Netherlands: Can Sneijder, Robben Do What Cruyff Could not?

Netherlands is going to play their third World Cup final on 11 July 2010 when they take on Spain, a first time finalist. The Dutch reached the finals in 1974 and 1978 World Cup tournaments, but on both occasions they agonizingly failed to live up to the expectation.

In 1974 World Cup, Netherlands reached the tournament final after putting on some mesmerizing display of ‘Total Football’ orchestrated by Dutch legend Johan Cruijff who was the biggest star of the tournament. However, the Germans won the trophy after defeating the Dutch 2-1 in the final.

Four years later in 1978, the Dutch could not show the same kind of dominance, but still the players like Rob Rensenbrink, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan and Ernie Brandts guided them to the tournament final. This time it was Argentina who defeated the Netherlands 3-1 in extra time to clinch the World Cup title.

There is no doubt, Netherlands had better chance in 1974 when Johan Cruijff was at his best. Now, the question is if Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben would be able to do what Cruijff failed to accomplish.

Sneijder and Robben are among the best players of the World Cup 2010. Sneijder has scored 5 goals in 6 matches so far and is currently the joint top scorer in the tournament and a contender for both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards.

Arjen Robben has also quickly got his rhythm back after returning from injury. The Bayern Munich striker was instrumental in Netherlands’ victories over Slovakia, Brazil and Uruguay in the knock out stage. He has scored 2 goals in 4 matches and is among the contenders of Golden Ball award.

So, the Dutch side has two in-form star players in Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder. Both the players have perhaps displayed their best football at club level last season. Now, they would not like to squander off the opportunity of becoming proud members of their country’s first World Cup winning team.

Spain Set up World Cup Final against Netherlands

Spain defeated Germany 1-0 in the semi final to reach the World Cup 2010 final where they would now face Netherlands on 11 July in Johannesburg. Carles Puyols scored the winner for Spain in the second half. This is the first time, Spain is going to play in a World Cup Football final.

Spain dominated in the first half with the likes of David Villa, Iniesta, Xavi and Pedro threatening in the German defense. The Spaniards created at least two clear scoring opportunities. First, David Villa got German keeper Manuel Neuer in a one to one situation, but failed to slot it past the keeper in the post.

Then the second chance came when Carles Puyol headed an Iniesta cross in the box over the post. Germany got some rhythm back towards the end of the first half. They created their only opportunity in the first half during the injury time when Mesut Ozil found the Spanish keeper alone in the goal, but he was late to take the shot as he wanted to get closer before being successfully challenged by Sergio Ramos.

Spain continued their dominance in the second half too. Xabi Alonso had two long range shots at goal in the first five minutes of the second half. In the 58^th minute, Spain missed a big scoring opportunity. First, Pedro’s long range shot was blocked by the German keeper, and after that David Villa failed to contact a cross from Iniesta. Just after five minutes, Sergio Ramos failed to make contact with a Xabi Alonso cross.

In the 69^th minutes, Germany created a good chance against the run of play when Podolski’s cross fell to Kroos whose close range shot was blocked by the Spanish keeper successfully.

Finally, Spain got the breakthrough when Carles Puyol scored through an excellent header in the 73^rd minute. The goal was like a wake up call for the Germans as they started attacking more thereafter.

As a result, Spain also had some chances from the counter attacks. In fact, Spain could have doubled the lead in the 82^nd minute, had Pedro not acted selfishly. He had two German players around, while Torres was alone inside the box, but still he wanted to score himself, in stead of passing it to Torres.

In the last 10 minutes, both sides had some good chances, but there was no more goal in the match.

Overall, Spain had dominating presence in the midfield where they controlled throughout the match. Spanish defense was solid and the players like Ozil, Klose found it hard to break.

Germany vs Spain Time and Live Score: FIFA World Cup 2010

Germany and Spain lock horns in the second semi final of the World Cup Football 2010 on 7 July at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. While Spain finds inspiration from their Euro 2008 victory over Germany, the Germans are full of confident after thrashing two tournament favorites England and Argentina in the previous two knock out stages.

Time

The match starts at 18:30 GMT and 20:30 local time. Football fans in Germany and Spain can watch the match live on TV from 20:30. In USA, the match kicks off in New York time at 14:30 and California time at 11:30.

Live Score

To get the live score of the match, visit the following link:

http://livescore.worldcup.football-data.co.uk/

Germany defeated Argentina 4-0 in the quarter final and England 4-1 in the round of 16. In both the victories Germany featured some mesmerizing display of football which is fearful enough for any defense.

Moreover, Germany is the three-time world champion and is going to play their 12^th World Cup semi final against Spain on Wednesday. So, the Germans have plenty of sources to draw inspiration, and given their recent form, they should not have lack of confidence.

Spain, on the other hand, picked up two stuttering victories over Paraguay and Portugal in the last two matches. Starting as European champion, the Spaniards could not yet show the kind of dominance in the tournament that they displayed during Euro 2008.

More importantly, Spain could never win World Cup. In fact, the Spaniards never even win a World Cup semi final in the history. Their best performance was winning the fourth place in the 1950 World Cup where the tournament was decided in a four-team final round competition based on round robin league system.

So, on paper, it may seem that Germany has an edge over Spain. However, the reality is that Spain is stronger than Germany in terms of squad strength. Though their recent form is not up to the mark, Spain has some of today’s best players in the world including Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa. Spain midfield features so many quality players that it seems as if they could even feature two world-class midfield line ups at the same time.

Germany also has a very strong midfield featuring a creative midfielder like Mesut Ozil and a holding midfielder like Bastian Schweinsteiger. One can say that if Xavi is currently the best midfielder in the world, then Ozil is the German Xavi in the making. The 21-year-old has showed some brilliant performances so far in the tournament and he is a serious threat for the Spanish defense.

In the up front, both Germany and Spain have at least one prolific scorer each. Though Thomas Muller is missing the affair on suspension, Germany has someone like Miroslav Klose who would be more than eager to score today keeping an eye on Ronaldo’s record.

Germany coach Joachim Low would most probably feature Piotr Trochowski in the starting line up in the absence of Muller.

Spain has David Villa who has been in high flying form so far in the tournament and is currently the joint highest scorer with 5 goals to his credit. Villa has scored in each of Spain’s victory in the tournament and would love to do the same against Germany too.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque is now in a dilemma over the Fernando Torres who scored the winning goal against Germany in Euro 2008 final, but has been struggling so far in the tournament. Midfielder Cesc Fabregas is also doubtful for the match with his shoulder injury, but he indicated that he would be available, and if needed, he would even take pain-killing injection.

It seems that both sides have a very good midfield and attacking line up. Given the attacking prowess of both sides, it seems performance of their defenders could be the deciding factor in the match. Germans showed some sloppy defending that they must improve on ahead of the match. Spain has a very good defense that must be at its best to stop the likes of Ozil and Klose.

Germany vs Spain in World Cup: What History Shows

In the second semi final of the ongoing World Cup 2010, Germany takes on Spain on Wednesday night (7 July) in Durban, South Africa. Germans are looking for a revenge of their defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2008, while Spain is looking to win their first ever World Cup title which is now just 2 matches away.

Ahead of this seemingly exciting semi final showdown, both sides are now busy with their last minute preparation. Germany has put on some dominating performance, and with 13 goals they are now the highest scoring team so far in the tournament.

Though the two teams faced each other many times in the history of football, the upcoming semi final match is going to be their only 4^th meeting at World Cup. Germany won 2 out of their last 3 World Cup affairs, with their last meeting being a draw in 1994 World Cup.

FIFA World Cup 1966 in England

This was their first ever World Cup meeting. West Germany defeated Spain 2-1 in the last match of Group 2 in the first round. With this victory, West Germany reached the quarter final, while Spain got out of the tournament.

1982 World Cup Football in Spain

Host Spain faced West Germany in the second round of group stage. The Germans once again defeated the Spaniards 2-1 in a crucial Group B encounter. West Germany reached the semi final, while Spain failed to make to the last four.

FIFA World Cup 1994 in USA

This was the first and so far only World Cup match between Spain and Germany following the reunification of East and West Germany. The Group C match ended up in a 1-1 draw, but both Germany and Spain reached the round of 16.

Football rivalry between Germany and Spain is not anything special in world football. However, following Spain’s victory in the Euro 2008 final and considering the current squad strength, it seems that another mentionable football rivalry is now in the making.