2010 World Cup Finals - Final 4
Day 25
Netherlands vs Spain: Spain became the eighth winner with its fourth consecutive 1-0 victory. But they really had to work for it. It was an epic encounter that wasn't decided until the 126th minute. The Dutch have been criticised for the negative approach, with some justification. They played mostly on the counter-attack and were guilty of some cynical fouls. Spain weren't blameless, but were clearly the only side that came to play their brand of football. In the end they were arguably the best team of the tournament and deserved their win. The Dutch will rue their missed chances (particularly Robben in the second half of normal time), but Spain also missed a few close ones. In the end it was decided by the tiniest of margins. The Dutch managed to disrupt Spain's normal game, but not completely. Spain created enough to win it. Their first ever win.
Day 24
Uruguay vs Germany: usually an open, entertaining match as both teams are freed from the pressure of winning the cup, and this was no exception. In a seesawing match, Germany first lead, then fell behind and then fought their way back to win. Uruguay played well, but Germany probably deserved the win. They've built a real platform for the future, with a young team taking the field. Suarez (Uruguay) was booed every time he touched the ball. 2-3.
Day 23
Germany vs Spain: the German team that turned up was a shadow of the side that ran over Argentina. They seemed to get stage-fright. Spain played their usual possession game and eventually scored in the 73rd minute. From there they simply held on. 0-1.
With Germany out, all past winners have been eliminated, so we'll have a eighth name on the trophy.
Day 22
Uruguay vs Netherlands: the neutrals were all behind the Netherlands after the manner in which Uruguay eliminated Ghana. After a pretty even start, van Bronckhurst opened the scoring with an absolute rocket from long range on the 18th minute. The Dutch held their lead reasonably comfortably, before Forlan returned the favour with his own long range shot that equalised just before half-time.
In the second half, the Dutch scored two quick goals (Sneijder 70', Robben 73') to seemingly wrap up the game. They held on reasonably comfortably until Uruguay equalised in the 92nd minute. The Dutch then had to endure another five minutes of injury time as Uruguay threw everything at them, but to no avail. 2-3.
With Uruguay eliminated, we will have our first European team to win outside of Europe.
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