FIFA World Cup 2010 – Spain vs. Germany review – World Cup Final comes early as two European Giants come head to head again
The two European giants Spain and Germany also came head to head in the 2008 European Championship final. Both, back then, battled it out to become the best team and Spain won the match to become the European Champions. The in-form Germans are now looking forward to take revenge of their last championship however, the Spaniards want to win this semi final to make history.
Both the teams have had a similar run in this World Cup 2010, if they are compared to the amount of wins, draws or losses. Both of them have won 2 of their group matches and lost 1. In the knockout stage, they have not lost a single match, of course, as the Germans got tough opponents in their way while the Spaniards played a few relatively easier sides.
The Germans had an amazing run. They were paired up with Ghana, Australia and Serbia. Their first World Cup match was against the Australians. The Germans totally thrashed the Australians and outplayed them in their first game. The final score line was 4-0 and the Germans proved that it’s not about experience and it’s all about team chemistry.
In their next match, they had to face a side that were just brilliant at the back, Serbia. The Serbians did not really outplay the Germans but Mirolslav Klose’ was red carded and the Serbians also had a one man advantage, as the German’s were down to 10. Serbians, during the second half, found an opening and scored a goal to end the match 1-0, their way. That way the German lost their first match.
In their last match, they had to face the very impressive African side, Ghana. Ghana gave them a tough time but it was a must-win situation for the Germans, if they wanted to qualify for the next round. Ghana lost the match 1-0, with the only goal coming from their number 8, Ozil. Even though the Germans won the last match, Ghana still managed to qualify for the next round and so did Germany.
In the pre quarter finals, Germany had to face England, who were going through their “bad phase.” The Germans totally outplayed the English as well, as they scored 4 goals and conceded only 1. However, during the first half, a shot from Lampard was denied as a goal by the side-line referee, although the ball crossed the goal line by yards. The Germans won the match 4-1 to meet Argentina in the quarter finals.
The match was supposed to be a thriller as both the sides were about to clash. Argentina were looking to be a tough side but the Germans thrashed them in the 2nd minute of the game as Thommas Muller scored his first goal of the match by a header. The Germans then dominated the game throughout as the striking force of Diego Maradona could not work its magic throughout the match and even a star player like Lionel Messi could not do much against the Germans. The match was won by the Germans, 4-0, and they qualified for the semi final.
On the other hand, the Spanish side had a disappointing start of the World Cup. They were paired up with Switzerland, Honduras and the South American side, Chile. Spaniards first went head to head with the Swiss. The Swiss looked very organized at the back and made a world record 550mins without conceding a goal. Later, in the second half, the Swiss made a counter attack and scored a goal to make it 1-0. Even though the Spaniards kept trying on goal and had 70% plus possession, they could not score a goal on the Swiss and the favourites of the World Cup 2010 lost their first match against Switzerland.
In the second match, they had to face the underdogs Honduras. David Villa totally shined in that match as he scored both the goals for his country to make them stay in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Their last match was against Chile, who looked to be really impressive in the midfield and defence. It was a must-win situation for the European giants and they did what they had to, to win the match. First goal was scored by David Villa from his weaker left foot, as the keeper came forward to take the ball and he shot from range to end the ball into the net. Later, Indres Iniesta finished a wonderful move made by the team; and right when the goal was scored, on the other end of the 18 yard box, Fernando Torres dived to earn the Chile defender a red card. After the first half, Chile barely had a chance because they were a man down but they proved themselves by scoring a goal even though they were a man down. The match ended with the final score 2-1, Spain, and Chile both qualifying for the next round.
In the pre quarter finals, Spain had to face the Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. Portugal looked to be really good at the back as they did not concede a goal in the FIFA World Cup and thrashed the Koreans with a 7-0 win over them. However, they did not manage to attack the Spaniards properly and lost the match 1-0, with the only one goal coming from the Spanish in-form star, David Villa. Their win over Portugal got them a pass to the quarter finals, where they had to face Paraguay. The Paraguayans were also a very good defensive side as they did not let Spain score a goal throughout the first half, and did not let them possess the ball in the midfield, where they are dangerous. In the second half of the match, Spain made a shaky start by gifting the Paraguayans with a penalty. Paraguay could not make good use of it and did not manage to score a goal. On the other end, when Spain counter attacked, David Villa also won a penalty. Xabi Alonso took the spot kick and was able to score, but he had to take it again because Fabregas was inside the 18 yard box before the shot was struck. When he shot the ball again, the Paraguayan goalkeeper managed to block it and the penalty was denied by him. Soon, the Spaniards finally made a move on to a win when Iniesta got the ball almost into the 18 yard box to pass it to his fellow Barca player Pedro, who shot the pole and the ball deflected on to David Villa. David Villa managed to hit the other pole, but the ball ended up inside the net and Spain took the lead in the 83rd minute of the match. There was not enough time for the Paraguayans to equalize and Spain won the match to qualify for the semi final of the FIFA World Cup 2010.
Now Spain is going to meet the very impressive German side who has defeated 3 teams by scoring 4 goals against them. As the Germans are advancing, they are becoming stronger and stronger. No one is sure what is going to happen in this thrilling semi final, which is considered to be the “final” of the FIFA World Cup, as most experts say that one of these two are going to win the final of the FIFA World Cup 2010. However, Netherlands cannot be underestimated. Predictions by famous “Paul the German Octopus” say that Germany is going to lose this match, however no one can be too sure of anything.
Tags: