2010 Fifa World Cup final: How Spain got there
By reaching the 2010 World Cup Final, Spain finally cast their “perennial underachievers” tag to one side once and for all, two-years after lifting the 2008 European Championship trophy in Vienna.
It’s been another superb tournament for La Roja, although things didn’t exactly start particularly well. But Vicente Del Bosque’s side recovered well to reach Sunday’s showpiece final, where they will take on the Netherlands.
This was their route to the Soccer City Stadium:
Group H: Spain 0 Switzerland 1, June 16th, Durban
Spain’s formidable record of 33 wins from their last 34 competitive matches wasn’t enough to faze Switzerland in the two teams’ World Cup opener. The Spaniards “Ticky-Tacky” football which had served them so well during qualification proved ineffective against the Swiss, who pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the group stages at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Del Bosque’s side dominated possession and created more chances, but it was Switzerland midfielder Gelson Fernandes who scored the game’s only goal not long after half-time. Incredibly, Spain were left with an uphill struggle to escape the group stages.
Group H: Spain 2 Honduras 0, June 21st, Johannesburg
Securing all three points was imperative for Spain against Honduras. A draw would leave them facing a premature exit - defeat was inconceivable. It was time for the European champions to get their act together and show the world why they were widely-regarded as joint-favourites alongside Brazil. Naturally, it didn’t take long for the goals to come. The prolific David Villa struck either side of half time to seal Spain’s first victory of 2010’s finals, and set up an intriguing final group match against Chile in the process.
Group H: Chile 1 Spain 2, June 25th, Pretoria
South American outfit Chile had been one of the standout performers during the 2010 World Cup’s first weeks with two wins from their opening two matches. Spain could ill-afford to slip-up again in Pretoria, or else they’d be boarding the first plane back to Madrid. Fortunately for the Spaniards, their hugely-talented team had found their feet in South Africa by this point, and were reproducing the effective pass-and-move football which they’ve become synonymous with in recent years. That man again, Villa, grabbed his third goal of the tournament, before Andres Iniesta added a second before half-time. Chile did pull one back minutes after the break through Rodrigo Millar; but in the end it proved a mere consolation, as Spain went through to the second round as Group H winners.
Second round: Spain 1 Portugal 0, June 29th, Cape Town
An epic battle against neighbours Portugal awaited Spain in the second round of the World Cup. With Cristiano Ronaldo waiting to explode at this summer’s final, the Spaniards were right to be wary of their opponents. But Spain ensured they done what they do better than any other team in world football: retaining possession of the football. Carlos Queiroz’s side struggled to win the ball and chances were few and far between for both teams. However, the instrumental Villa broke the deadlock on the 63rd minute for his fourth goal of the tournament. Ronaldo and his teammates had very few touches in the closing stages of the match, and Spain held on to secure their place in the quarter-final.
Quarter-final: Paraguay 0 Spain 1, July 3rd, Johannesburg
As Spain arrived at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, they knew they were just 90 minutes away from their first appearance in a World Cup semi-final. Standing in their way were the reasonably strong South Americans, Paraguay, who were competing in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. It wasn’t a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but a chaotic five-minute spell was easily one of the most entertaining of the tournament. Oscar Cardozo missed a penalty, Xabi Alonso then also missed a penalty moments later – after having his first ruled out because of encroachment – and from Alonso’s miss, Cesc Fàbregas appeared to have won the match’s third spot-kick, only for the referee to wave play on. With seven minutes left on the clock, Spain eventually found their goal, and it was no surprise to see Villa weaving away in celebration once more. Although the ball hit both posts before crossing the line, La Roja had made the semi-finals for the first time.
Semi-final: Germany 0 Spain 1, July 7th, Durban
For Spain, it was back to Durban for their first World Cup semi-final. The Moses Mabhida Stadium was, of course, the venue where Del Bosque’s side were embarrassed by Switzerland in their opening Group H match, and this time they were up against the far more formidable Germany. Spain’s opponents had looked breathtakingly good at times up until this point, hitting four goals past both England and Argentina in the previous two rounds. It would take something special to beat Joachim Löw’s team and seal their place in the World Cup Final. The match itself proved tight and tentative as many had expected, but Spain were the better team, once again keeping hold of the ball, passing it around and not allowing Germany to play their natural game. It suited Spain that Germany resorted to camping back in their own half, and in the end their dominance told; but the goalscorer wasn’t the man everyone had expected. Defender Carles Puyol scored a very un-Spain like goal midway through the second half – a powerful header from a corner – but they didn’t care how the goal came. As the full-time whistle blew, the celebrations ensued – Spain had reached tonight’s World Cup final.
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