Final: Spain extent their conquest from European Champions to World Cup Champions

The last two games involving four countries of the two winning teams and two teams those lose in the semifinals are closing game for the 2010 World Cup. Spain became the winner of the World Cup after winning 16 of 17 matches, including qualifying stage and only lost once to the Swiss in the opening match in Group H. This success of Spain became the eighth name on the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy since the introduction in 1930 and it’s the first time Spain became World Champions. Spain best previous achievement was back to 1950 when finished fourth.

In contrast to the Netherlands for failing to win for the first time it has been three times to the final after the 1974 and 1978. Their defeat against Spain was their first defeat since winning 14 straight matches. Iniesta a demolisher of Netherlands when he scored a winning goal in extra time after one of the Netherlands player is roll out for second yellow card.
Germany secured for the third place by winning over Uruguay 3-2 as a returned back to the real track after losing to Spain 1-0 in their semifinal. This was the fourth World Cup for Germany ending in third place to 11th time finishing top three in World Cup campaign. Thomas Müller an innovative idol to the German after collecting five goals against Uruguay as well as to be award the best young player in this tournament at the age of 21 years old.

Waiting 30 years for the Uruguay to ending campaign in ranked third was crash after lost 3-2 to Germany. The defeated extent loses to Germany for 9 times in 10 meetings - their sole victory only came on 1928. However, the hero of Uruguay Diego Forlán having led his team this far with his explosion goal reach five goals and was named top scorer along with Thomas Muller, Wesley Sneijder and David Villa.


Iniesta pick up a star for Spanish
In a game when a record number of yellow cards were given and John Heitinga was sent off in extra-time, both sides missed great chances from Arjen Robben and Cesc Fabregas, but Andres Iniesta netted in the 116th minute to give European champions Spain their first World Cup title.
The solitary goal came with penalties looming as substitute Cesc Fabregas played in Iniesta and the little midfielder drove emphatically across Maarten Stekelenburg and into the far corner. With this victory – their fourth successive single-goal win in South Africa – Spain became the eighth name on the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy and also the first European team to have triumphed on a different continent. For the Netherlands, who lost defender John Heitinga to a red card in extra time, there is only the heartache of another tale of what might have been after they completed a hat-trick of Final losses.
This was a match preceded by much talk of two like-minded footballing cultures, of the influence of Dutchmen like Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, of 'tiki taka' and Total Football. In many ways, as the first 116 minutes showed, it was also a case of the irresistible force versus the immovable object. The Dutch had won 14 straight games to get to the Final, in qualifying and the tournament proper, and Spain 15 out of 16, their only slip the defeat by Switzerland in their first game here in South Africa.

The game will be noted for the flurry of cards - 14 in all - starting in the 14th minute when Howard Webb booked Robin van Persie.
Pretty soon combative midfield duo Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong joined him for challenges - a late lunge on Joan Capdevila and a kung fu kick on Xabi Alonso respectively - that could easily have ended their evening.
It certainly made for unsightly viewing at times, but Vicente del Bosque's side did play some exquisite passing football at times, with Xavi and Iniesta helping Spain dominate possession. The best first-half chance fell to Sergio Ramos but his header from Xavi's cross was palmed away superbly by Maarten Stekelenburg.
With the orange sections of the 84,490 Soccer City crowd finding their voice, Bert van Marwijk's men almost gave them something to sing about from a corner in the 37th minute. Robben rolled the ball to Mark van Bommel on the edge of the box and although he failed to make a clean connection he unwittingly diverted the ball on to the unmarked Mathijsen but the defender missed his kick.

Netherlands struggled to get into the game but in the second-half were handed a golden opportunity in the 62nd minute to take the lead; Spain skipper Iker Casillas making a quite brilliant save to deny Robben after the former Chelsea star had been set free by Sneijder.
Robben must have thought he had done everything right. Running at pace - past a stranded Carles Puyol - until he saw the whites of Casillas' eyes, he shaped to go one way, then placed his shot to the other corner. Casillas was committed in the other direction but stuck out a leg and turned the effort wide.

It was by some distance the best opportunity of the regulation 90 minutes, although Ramos had another decent opening himself heading umarked over the bar.
Extra time began with opportunities for Spain. Xavi failed to connect when well positioned and when the ball ran to Villa, his shot went wide off an orange shirt. Substitute Fabregas then broke clear on to Iniesta's through-ball but was foiled by Stekelenburg. Mathijsen headed wide from a corner but like waves, Spanish attacks kept rolling on to the Netherlands back line and Navas was close with a shot deflected into the side-netting.
Fernando Torres replaced Villa midway through the extra period and Spain gained a man advantage four minutes later with Heitinga's dismissal for pulling back Iniesta on the edge of the box, the offence earning him a second yellow. Iniesta would not be denied, however, and his fine late strike put Spain into the history books and left a Dutch dream shattered.

Germany finished third for fourth time

Germany secured third place in the World Cup courtesy of an entertaining 3-2 win over Uruguay in Port Elizabeth. A Sami Khedira header settled a game that saw both Thomas Muller and Diego Forlan move onto five goals for the tournament.
The match was heading for extra time at 2-2 when Sami Khedira scored a late header. The goal ended Uruguay’s hopes of beating Germany for the first time in 82 years, while the Germans finished in the top three for the 11th time.
For two of the scorers, Muller and Forlan, their strikes took them to five for the tournament, level with David Villa and Wesley Sneijder at the top of the adidas Golden Boot standings. Forlan will rue the injury-time free-kick against the crossbar that denied him a sixth goal, while Miroslav Klose's absence with a back injury left him rooted on five too.
Both teams featured changed lineups after their semi-final losses. Germany coach Joachim Low went for a wholly new forward line from that which began against Spain with starting roles for the trio of Muller, Cacau and Jansen. Further back Dennis Aogo came in for Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt for Manuel Neuer. As for Uruguay, they welcomed back captain Diego Lugano from injury together with Jorge Fucile and Luis Suarez, both suspended for last Tuesday's defeat by the Netherlands.

Man-of-the match Thomas Mueller, coming back from suspension in the semifinal, gave Germany the lead in the 18th minute, his fifth goal at the World Cup, sweeping the ball home after Bastian Schweinsteiger’s swerving shot had been blocked but not collected by Muslera, who was at fault in Germany’s first two goals.
Uruguay not waiting too long to equalizer when Suarez's perfectly-timed pass put Cavani through on the left and he finished expertly low into the far corner to put Uruguay on level terms in the 28th minute.
Futher changes went begging moments after the restart when Butt saved at Cavani's feet and then got a hand to Suarez’s shot on the follow-up. Butt was left helpless when Forlan made it 2-1 after 51 minutes, however. The Atletico Madrid striker connected acrobatically with Egidio Arevalo's cross on the edge of the box, sending the ball into the rain-sodden turf and back up past Butt. Yet the lead lasted only five minutes before Muslera missed Jerome Boateng's deep cross and Jansen headed home.

With eight minutes left Mesut Ozil's corner caused chaos in the Uruguay area and Khedira looped a header into the corner to make it 3-2.
Uruguay has beaten Germany only once in 10 matches, in 1928. Germany beat Uruguay in the third-place match in 1970—the last time Uruguay reached the semifinals. The Germany victory also extents the last seven third-place play-offs matches have been won by European teams.