FIFA World Cup 2010: Match Facts For The Semi Finals
The first of the two semi finals will be played between Netherlands and Uruguay. These two teams have met on four occasions previously, with Uruguay winning three of those meetings and Netherlands only one.
The team that has won any of the matches between the two sides, has done so by scoring two goals. These two teams only met once in the World Cup, which was way back in 1974. The Dutch won that match, with Rep scoring both of the goals for the Dutch.
Netherlands have managed to maintain a perfect record in the World Cup so far. They have won their previous three games by a score line of two goals to one. If the Netherlands manage to beat Uruguay, they will set a new world record for the number of wins in the World Cup. The previous record was five wins in a row, which was set way back in 1974. The Dutch equaled that record when they beat Brazil in the quarter finals.
Wesley Sneijder has scored an astonishing six goals in his seven appearances for the international team. Diego Forlan has scored four goals in the finals so far. All four of these goals have been scored against African teams. Forlan has not scored a single goal since 2002 in the finals against a non African team. Additionally three of Diego Forlan’s four goals have been scored from outside the box.
The second semi final will be played between Germany and Spain. Germany and Spain have met twenty times in the past, Germany have won eight of those matches and Spain have won six. Its also worth noting that this is the first time Spain have managed to reach the semi finals at the World Cup.
The last time these two teams faced off against each other, Spain won one goal to nil. That match was the final of Euro 2008. Germany have scored the most number of goals at the tournament so far, with the thirteen goals they managed to net.
The Germans have also managed to score four goals in three games so far. The only team to have bettered this record is Uruguay, they scored four goals in four games in the 1954 World Cup. Their amazing Thomas Muller has a perfect shot to goal ratio, scoring four goals of the four shots he has taken so far.
Klose needs to score one more goal to equal the record of fifteen World Cup goals that was set by the Brazilian Ronaldo. While David Villa has scored five goals in the tournament so far, and by doing so he has equaled the Spanish record which was previously shared by Basaro And Butragueno.
David Villa is Spains all time leading goal scorer at the World Cup with the eight goals he has scored and that makes him very threatening. He is on forty three goals which is one shy of the all time Spanish record set by Raul which is forty three goals. Xavi has more completed passes than anyone else at the tournament with the four hundred and four passes he has successfully completed.
Another fact to keep in mind here is that there has never been a nil all draw at the semi final stage in the World Cups history. These are going to be two fantastic semi-final matches to tune into.
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