Final Score - WC2010 Final, Netherlands vs Japan

Sunday 11th July 2010 - Soccer City, Johannesburg - Att. 84,490
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

LINEUPS:
Netherlands (451): Stekelenberg, van der Wiel, van Bronckhorst (Ooijer 80'), Heitinga, Mathijsen, de Jong, Afellay, van Bommel (van der Vaart 68'), van Persie, Babel, Robben (Braafheid 84')
Japan (433): Kawashima, Komano, Nagatomo, Nakazawa, Tanaka, Abe, Endo (K Nakamura 68'), Hasebe (Yano 85'), Honda, Okubo (S Nakamura 70'), Matsui

Match Report

Netherlands 2 - 1 Japan
Goalscorers:
NED van Persie 10'
JPN Okubo 53' (2)
NED van Persie 74'

Discipline:
JPN Nagatomo 45'
JPN Tanaka 54'
JPN Tanaka 69' (off)

Man of the Match:
NED Robin van Persie

Final Score - WC2010 FINAL Match Report, Netherlands vs Japan

	NETHERLANDS		JAPAN
1	Maarten STEKELENBERG (GK)		Eiji KAWASHIMA (GK)	21
2	Gregory VAN DER WIEL		Yuichi KOMANO	3
5	Giovanni VAN BRONCKHORST (C)		Yuto NAGATOMO	5
3	John HEITINGA		Yuji NAKAZAWA	22
4	Joris MATHIJSEN		Marcus Tuli TANAKA	4
8	Nigel DE JONG		Yuki ABE	2
20	Ibrahim AFELLAY		Yasuhito ENDO	7
6	Mark VAN BOMMEL		Makoto HASEBE (C)	17
9	Robin VAN PERSIE		Keisuke HONDA	18
19	Ryan BABEL		Yoshito OKUBO	16
11	Arjen ROBBEN		Daisuke MATSUI	8
	COACH: Bert VAN MARWIJK (NED)		COACH: Takeshi OKADA (JPN)

The only change to either team before the match was the inclusion of Ibrahim Afellay who starts in place of the injured Wesley Sniejder.

2' A loose ball is picked up by Japan's Okubo who sends it down the wing for Matsui. His deep cross into a crowded goalmouth was met by Keisuke Honda but well saved by Stekelenberg.

10' Holland start out on the counter attack when Heitinga tackled Okubo, collecting the ball and running with it. His ball was inch perfect and Robin van Persie neatly placed it into the bottom corner
NED 1 - 0 JPN

16' Okubo was tackled again, this time by van der Wiel who sent it crossfield to Ibrahim Afellay. The next pass was delayed too long, catching Babel in an offside position.

27' Mathijsen wins an aerial encounter with Yasuhito Endo and runs into the box. Ryan Babel chipped the ball up into the air where Nathijsen miscued his shot for an easy Kawashima save.

33' Holland have a free kick out wide but the delivery towards de Jong is cleared.

35' Japan are first to another loose ball allowing Honda the space to run down the wing, but his pass to the supporting Endo was poor.

45' On the stroke of halftime Yuto Nagatomo was booked.

HALFTIME SCORE
Netherlands 1 - 0 Japan

53' A sluggish start to the second half was soon forgotten when Japan equalised on the counter attack. Abe was able to get the better of Mathijsen in the air, flicking the ball on for Matsui to run onto. His low, hard ball was met in the area by Yoshito Okubo who slammed his second World Cup goal just inside the post.
NED 1 - 1 JPN

54' Tanaka was booked for removing his shirt in celebration.

67' Another lull in proceedings was interrupted by a pair of substitutions. For Holland van der Vaart, available again after his suspension, replaced a quiet van Bommel. For Japan Kengo Nakamura came on for Endo.

69' Marcus Tulio Tanaka looked very sheepish after he received a second yellow card, Mr Webb showing him the red card to leave Japan with ten men for the remainder of the match. Japan quickly changed the look of the team by taken off the goalscorer Okubo and replacing him with midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura.

74' It took just five minutes for the Netherlands to take advantage of their extra man. Kengo Nakamura had only been on the field for seven minutes but his contribution would be remembered for the ball he gave straight to Mathiejsen. He then found Afellay who saw Rafael van der Vaart streaking through for a one-on-one chance with Kawashima. The Japanese keeper hurried the Dutchmen into a quick shot that was saved before Robin van Persie followed up to score his eighth goal of the tournament andput Holland fuly in pole position.
NED 2 - 1 JPN

80' Japan continue to get onto loose balls with Nakazawa sending it out wide to Shunsuke Nakamura who was able to evade one tackle but sent his cross into the side of the goal. Andre Ooijer then entered the game, coming on for van Bronckhorst in defence.

84' Holland were very much in a defensive posture but they were free to counter attack if the opportunity was on. In this case Heitinga put his foot in on Matsui and sent a long ball towards van Persie. The Golden Boot winner laid it off for Ooijer who was unable to get enough bend on his thirty yard shot that sailed a little wide.

84' The final substitutions. Edson Braafheid on for Arjen Robben; Kisho Yano for Makoto Hasebe.

90' After two minutes of stoppage time Howard Webb blows the final whistle. Holland win the World Cup!

Final Score - WC2010 Road to the Final

Netherlands
Group E: Netherlands 4-0 Denmark
Group E: Netherlands 0-0 Japan
Group E: Cameroon 1-1 Netherlands
Second Round: Netherlands 0-0 New Zealand (6-5 penalties)
Quarterfinal: Netherlands 3-0 Brazil
Semifinal: Germany 1-3 Netherlands

GROUP E
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	1	2	0	5	1	+4	5
Japan	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
Denmark	3	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3
Cameroon	3	0	2	1	3	4	-1	2

Japan
Group E: Japan 1-1 Cameroon
Group E: Netherlands 0-0 Japan
Group E: Denmark 0-2 Japan
Second Round: Italy 1-3 Japan
Quarterfinal: Japan 1-0 Portugal
Semifinal: South Korea 0-2 Japan

Final Score - WC2010 Third Place Final, Germany vs South Korea

Saturday 10th July 2010 - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth - Att. 36,254
Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)

LINEUPS:
Germany (451): Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Friedrich, Mertesacher, Schweinsteiger (Kroos 83'), Oezil (Jansen 66'), Khedria, Klose, Podolski, Mueller
South Korea (451): Ryong, Ri, Pyo, Hyung, LJ Soo, Yueng, Woo, Hun (Kyung 63'), Young (Gook 45'), PJ Sung, Yong (Hwan 76')

South Korea were happy to welcome back Cho Yong Hyung into their defence but he was as helpless to stop German domination as the rest of the side. Despite all their possession though Germany had to wait until the 22nd minute before breaking down the Koreans; great hustle and timely challenges kept the Germans away from goal.

It was to be an untimely tackle that led to the opening goal when Hyung brought down Oezil in the area and Miroslav Klose scored his fifth goal of the competition from the spot. The match continued in the same vein with Jung Sung Ryong picking crosses out of the air with Khedira (over) and Klose (easy save) threatening the goal.

It was then a shock when in the 38th minute a loose ball was picked up by Woo and he ran three-quarters the length of the pitch before crossing a peach of a ball to Cha Du Ri, who had made the long run upfield himself, and it was headed into the roof of the net for a 1-1 score at halftime.

South Korea made a change at halftime with Park Chu Young unable to get anything right during the first half; his replacement was Lee Dong Gook for his second appearance of the World Cup. Gook would have no luck himself but that was better than the bad luck Ri suddenly encountered.

Another German attack led by Klose and Podolski ended on the head of Jerome Boateng who sent his header well wide, that is until Ri defelected the path of the ball straight into his own goal. Ryong was helpless to keep that ball out but he made two magnificent back to back saves minutes later; Klose and Oezil the players left looking to the Heavens.

It mattered not as with fifteen minutes to play Thomas Mueller sent his free kick into the corner after Schweinsteiger was fouled on a swift counter attack that all started by a great defensive play by Freirich to break up the Korean move.

Germany 3 - 1 South Korea
Goalscorers:
GER Klose 22'
KOR Ri 38'
GER Ri (Own Goal) 51'
GER Mueller 75'

Discipline:
KOR Hun 10'
KOR Hyung 22'
KOR LJ Soo 43'
KOR Ri 79'

Man of the Match:
GER Phillipp Lahm

Final Score - WC2010 Semifinal, South Korea vs Japan

Wednesday 7th July 2010 - Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban - Att. 60,960
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

LINEUPS:
South Korea (451): Ryong, Ri, Pyo, Jin, LJ Soo, Yueng, Woo, Hun, Young (Yeoul 70'), PJ Sung, Yong (Gook 62')
Japan (433): Kawashima, Komano, Nagatomo (Uchida 86'), Nakazawa, Tanaka, Abe, Endo, Hasebe (Konno 62'), Honda, Okubo, Matsui (Inamoto 77')

With Hyung suspended Korea opted for Kim Dong Jin as his replacement in defence while Japan had a full lineup. The opening ten minutes saw both teams sizing up their opponents and Japan was the first to take a chance when Endo intercepted a ball and ran past the defence into the box before Ryong pushed his shot onto the post and away.

South Korea then hit the target on a free kick. Park Ji Sung received a pass from Hun before Marcus Tulio Tanaka crashed into him; Kawashima at full stretch to keep the game goalless. The next twenty minutes couldn't go by fast enough with no action to speak of, but South Korea had the next goalscoring opportunity through Young who headed the ball wide after Woo put in a fine run and chip for the striker to get onto.

The second half started with Ryong pulling out a great save on a direct free kick and Endo heading well wide on a Nakazawa cross. The hour mark came and went and with it the first goal of this semifinal. A lapse in focus from Park Ji Sung gave Yasuhito Endo the opportunity to intercept his crossfield ball, move forward a little, and send the ball flying into the top corner from thirty yards.

Three minutes later and Honda wasted his chance to double Japan's lead by heading the ball straight at Ryong while a later shot by Konno was sent over the bar. Park Ji Sung was eager to make up for his earlier mistake and some great play ended at the feet of Yeom Ki Hun who ran out of room before he could take his shot.

The finale came with Japan celebrating a second goal to cement their place in the World Cup final, Tanaka following up to curl it into the corner after Konno had his shot saved the goalies legs.

South Korea 0 - 2 Japan
Goalscorers:
JPN Endo 61'
JPN Tanaka 90'

Discipline:
JPN Tanaka 13'
KOR PJ Sung 13'
KOR Jin 48'

Man of the Match:
JPN Yoshito Okubo

Final Score - WC2010 Semifinal, Germany vs Netherlands

Tuesday 6th July 2010 - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town - Att. 62,479
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

LINEUPS:
Germany (451): Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Friedrich (Tasci 72'), Mertesacher (Marin 52'), Schweinsteiger, Oezil, Khedira, Klose (Cacau 86'), Podolski, Mueller
Netherlands (451): Stekelenberg, van der Wiel (Ooijer 60'), van Bronckhorst, Heitinga, Mathijsen, de Jong, Sneijder (de Zeeuw 29'), van Bommel, van Persie (Boulahrouz 81'), Huntelaar, Robben

The Netherlands had more reshuffling in their lineup due to suspensions. Nigel de Jong returns after missing the quarterfinals while van der Vaart is unavailable for selection due to his two yellow cards against Brazil. And for once Holland did not have any real problems with discipline but they will still have to alter their lineup with Wesley Sneijder limping off in 29th minute, forcing him out of the final should they beat Germany.

The game was goalless when Demy de Zeeuw came on to replace Sneijder with Holland looking the more dangerous side without threatening Neuer's goal. The German keeper had to be on his toes though when Robin van Persie lost control of the ball on a magnificent run, Neuer scrambling to deflect the ball behind. After the substitution the corner was whipped in where Robben helped it on for de Zeeuw, seconds into his appearance, roofed it for a 1-0 lead.

The Germans looked a little nervous and their one real chance in the first half came very early on when Khedira crossed for Mueller only to see the forward loop his header over the bar. The second half saw Germany start the better side again but also sustained the pressure for longer. Oezil almost chipped a pass through to the strikers after halftime and Giovanni van Bronckhorst had to get his sliding tackle just right with Klose ready to shoot in the penalty area.

After Sami Khedira fluffed a very good chance just before the hour mark it did not look like it would be the Germans day. The Netherlands woke themselves up after this latest scare with de Zeeuw heading another chance straight at Neuer while both sides looked to find another super-sub to come on and perform some magic.

When the magic did come it was not from a fresh face off the bench but the World Cup's top scorer Robin van Persie. A loose ball in the 74th minute was picked up by van Bommel before Klaas Jan Huntelaar neatly found RVP in the goalmouth to head into the top corner. van Persie's sixth goal of the tournament came six minutes later to cement Holland's place in the World Cup final. Huntelaar again was the provider as he pulled the ball back from the goalline for his strike partner to hammer home for 3-0.

Germany did manage to get on the board through Cacau who matched de Zeeuw's feat of running straight from the bench to score on a corner kick, but they would have to settle for the third-place contest.

Germany 1 - 3 Netherlands
Goalscorers:
NED de Zeeuw 28'
NED van Persie 74'
NED van Persie 80'
GER Cacau 86'

Discipline:
NED van der Wiel 17'
GER Podolski 22'
NED van Persie 31'
GER Friedrich 69'

Man of the Match:
NED Robin van Persie

Final Score - WC2010 Quarterfinal, Japan vs Portugal

Saturday 3rd July 2010 - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg - Att. 55,359
Referee: Carlos Batres (Guatemala)

LINEUPS:
Japan (433): Kawashima, Komano,Nagatomo, Nakazawa, Tanaka (Konno 79'), Abe, Endo (Nakamura 45'), Hasebe, Honda, Okubo (Tamada 60'), Matsui
Portugal (433): Eduardo, Costa, Coentrao, Carvalho, Alves, Mendes, Tiago, Meireles, Ronaldo, Simao (Almeida 86'), Danny (Veloso 64')

The last quarterfinal was another defensively-minded contest that only needed the one goal to determine a winner. Japan fought hard to try and break down the Portuguese defence but were foiled at every turn throughout the first half. Portugal also had difficulty in getting a look at goal with Yuichi Komano especially lively at the back for Japan.

At the end of a half where Ronaldo was the only player to hit the target when his shot deflected into the arms of Kawashima the fans were probably happy there was some entertainment during the interval. The match continued where it left off and the first real chance did not come until the hour mark when a cross by Costa was headed down by Simao and shot off the top of the crossbar by Fabio Coentrao.

Portugal always looked the most likely to score and they had another chance, this coming in the 78th minute, when Tiago's intelligent ball to Veloso allowed the substitute midfielder to find Raul Meireles in the box but his shot only found the side netting.

Then with extra time six minutes away Japan broke Portuguese hearts with a stunning counter attack. It all began with Nakazawa cutting out a hard pass and then moving it forward for Abe. The midfielder  then skipped one challenge before feeding it through the defence for Daisuke Matsui to hammer it home and make it an all-Asian semifinal against South Korea.

Japan 1 - 0 Portugal
Goalscorers:
JPN Matsui 84' (2)

Discipline:
POR Meireles 56'

Man of the Match:
JPN Yuichi Komano

Final Score - WC2010 Quarterfinal, South Korea vs Ghana

Saturday 3rd July 2010 - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town - Att. 64,100
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

LINEUPS:
South Korea (451): Ryong, Ri (KH Il 69'), Pyo, Hyung, LJ Soo, Yueng, Woo (Kyung 69'), Hun (KM Soo 80'), Young, PJ Sung, Yong
Ghana (451): Kingson, Pantsil, Sarpei, John Mensah, Johnathon Mensah (Boateng 61'), Annan, Asamoah (I Ayew 88'), Tagoe, Gyan, Prince-Boateng, A Ayew (Owusu-Abeiya 83')

While not a match for the ages, both teams went all out in the opening ten minutes, rushing forward at every opportunity with South Korea not quite able to penetrate and Ghana forcing Ryong to save down low on shots from Johnathon Mensah and Ayew. The next thirty-five minutes was an exercise in futility as both sides locked down their defences tight and played out a largely dull first half.

The second half also started with a lot of excitement. Prince-Boateng couldn't believe his header was saved on the goalline, and he was frustrated seconds later on the resulting corner when his volley fizzed just wide. ten minutes after the restart and there was a goal to celebrate. A fluffed claerance by Richard Kingson fell straight to Hun whose quick thinking split the defence and Park Chu Young drove a hard shot past the shamed Ghanian keeper.

Young had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 74th minute but, like the last three Korean matches, could not add any more goals with this chance going high after another great pass this time from Sung. Ghana looked bereft of ideas but they would end the match with a man advantage. Defender Cho Yong Hyung was booked for the second time in the 88th minute and will miss the semifinal clash against either Jpana or Portugal.

South Korea 1 - 0 Ghana
Goalscorers:
KOR Young 55' (2)

Discipline:
KOR Yong 4'
GHA Prince-Boateng 30'
KOR Hyung 60'
GHA Ayew 63'
KOR Hyung (off) 88'
KOR Young 89'

Man of the Match:
KOR Park Chu Young

Final Score - WC2010 Quarterfinal, Argentina vs Germany

Friday 2nd July 2010 - Soccer City, Johannesburg - Att. 84,017
Referee: Olegário Benquerença (Portugal)

LINEUPS:
Argentina (442): Romero, Otamendi, Heinze, Demichelis (Gutierrez 60'), Burdisso, Mascherano, Rodriguez, di Maria, Higuain, Tevez (Aguero 101'), Messi (Milito 74')
Germany (451): Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Schweinsteiger (Trochowski 118'), Oezil, Khedria (Jansen 67'), Klose, Podolski, Mueller (Gomez 86')

Sergio Romero was the hero in the first half for Argentina, limiting the Germans to a one-goal lead at halftime, and his great performance would extend throughout the match. The Argentine team had little to build on after forty-five minutes with their opponents enjoying a large slice of the possession generating chances for Klose and Mueller who were both denied by Romero and Podolski sliced his late shot wide.

The breakthrough came early though when in the 14th minute Friedrich intercepted a pass and started the Germans on a break. Khedira ran with purpose down the touchline and his far post cross was met by Miroslav Klose to head home a rocket for his fourth goal of the tournament.

After the interval Argentina quickly sorted themselves out and soon made a real game of it when just after the hour mark Otamendi roofed home a defence splitting pass from Mascherano. Minutes before Gonzalo Higuin was denied by Neuer at his post but things developed into a stalemate after the equalising goal.

The next big chance fell to Germany, sub Michael Jansen's improvised bicycle kick clipping the top of the bar after Mueller had put a cross behind his teammate. Mueller then had the chance to be a hero in stoppage time when Friedrich's corner kick was met by the forward at the near post only for his header to go over the crossbar.

So Argentina take another game to extra time where they had to rely on Romero to stop Jansen, Schweinsteiger and Podolski as the German team continued to pass the ball smartly. Argentina's game-winning chance came in the second half of extra time when Burdisso ran past two opposing players and fed Aguero to put him clear on goal, but the substitutes shot was very poor and proved easy pickings for Neuer.

The penalty shootout was a demonstration on how to take spot kicks with twelve of the thirteen penalties finding the back of the net. The tension increased exponentially after each goal and it may have proved to much for Nicolas Burdisso who slammed his high shot against the crossbar, moving the pressure over to Phillipp Lahm who dispatched his kick past Romero to put Germany through to the semifinals where they will face the Netherlands.

Argentina 1 (aet) 1 Germany, Germany win 7-6 on penalties
Goalscorers:
GER Klose 14'
ARG Otamendi 61'

Penalty Shootout:
ARG Heinze, Higuain, Aguero, Rodriguez, Otamendi, Milito, Burdisso
GER Klose, Podolski, Jansen, Boateng, Oezil, Gomez, Lahm

Discipline:
GER Schweinstiger 109'

Man of the Match:
ARG Sergio Romero

Final Score - WC2010 Quarterfinal, Netherlands vs Brazil

Friday 2nd July 2010 - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth - Att. 40,186
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)

LINEUPS:
Netherlands (451): Stekelenberg, van der Wiel (Schaars 73'), van Bronckhorst, Heitinga, Mathijsen, van der Vaart, Sneijder, van Bommel (Braafheid 82'), van Persie, Elia, Robben (Boulahrouz 63')
Brazil (451): Cesar, Malcon, Bastos, Lucio, Juan, G Silva (Elano 69'), F Melo (Josue 55'), Alves (Nilmar 78'), Fabiano, Kaka, Robinho

The Dutch team welcomed back Stekelenburg in goal but Nigel de Jong was suspended leaving van der Vaart to fill in the gap in midfield. The first half was one long tide of orange as Brazil were penned back in throughout the first half and, when they did get forward, delivered some very poor crosses.

The Netherlands continued to be ultra aggressive in their style of play with van Bommel earning a yellow card, and a suspension, in only the second minute of play. The midfield replacement, Rafael van der Vaart, was also on the same page as he picked a booking either side of halftime leaving Holland a man short in yet another match.

The sending off would have little impact however as the Netherlands were 2-0 up through Mathijsen scoring at the near post after good work from Elia and van der Vaart in the 16th minute, and just before halftime van Persie dove on to a hard Sniejder cross to send the ball in off the post.

On the hour mark, six minutes after van der Vaart had been sent off, Brazil looked no closer to threatening their opponents and Robin van Persie made them pay with his fourth goal of the championship and it was the pick of the bunch. van Bommel kicked it all off by winning an aerial battle against Brazilian substitute Josue, flicking the ball to van der Wiel. The Dutch midfielder looked up and played the perfect through ball for van Persie to run onto, dribbling around Cesar and slotting the ball home from a very tight angle.

Brazil had some chances late on but they were a beaten side and merely put their foot right through the ball on each shot. Nilmar and Malcon blazed high and wide, Bastos shot straight at Stekelenburg.

Netherlands 3 - 0 Brazil
Goalscorers:
NED Mathijsen 16'
NED van Persie 43'
NED van Persie 60'

Discipline:
NED van Bommel 2' (sus)
NED van der Wiel 40'
NED van der Vaart 41'
NED van der Vaart (off) 54'

Man of the Match:
NED Robin van Persie

Final Score - World Cup 2010 Quarterfinal Draw

Netherlands vs Brazil
Argentina vs Germany
South Korea vs Ghana
Japan vs Portugal

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, Chile vs Portugal

Tuesday 29th June 2010 - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town - Att. 62,955
Referee: Héctor Baldassi (Argentina)

LINEUPS:
Chile (433):Bravo, Jara, Vidal, Ponce (Contreras 59'), Medel, Carmona, Isla (Fierro 67'), Valdivia, Suazo, Beausejour, Sanchez
Portugal (433): Eduardo, Costa (Duda 84'), Coentrao, Carvalho, Alves, Mendes, Tiago, Meireles (Deco 69'), Ronaldo (Rolondo 74'), Simao, Danny

Penalty continues to be the buzzword of the second round with Christiano Ronaldo opening the scoring from the spot in the 38th minute. Prior to that, Chile looked to be the better side with Valdivia's shot saved and a Beausejour diving header going wide. Portugal had the first chance of the match though when, in the 9th minute, Danny displayed great skill to get past Ponce and, after a one-two with Man of the Match contender Coentrao, saw his effort deflect into the hands of Bravo.

The game's turning point started with a giveaway by Mauricio Isla. Tiago picked up the loose ball and found Costa whose high cross was punched under pressure by Bravo, then the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. He had spotted Carlos Carmona holding Simao to prevent him getting up to the ball and received a lecture for his method of disagreement as much as the foul.

In the third minute of stoppage time all attention was on Gonzalo Jara who, having been bundled off the ball unfairly by Ronaldo, proceeded to be in prime position for the resulting free kick. The long high ball was met by the head of Valdivia and a wide open Jara was as surprised as anyone when Eduardo somehow pulled off a wonder save to keep Portugal ahead going into the interval.

Two minutes after the restart and Chile were really ruing that late first half chance when Costa made an aggressive run the length of the pitch, getting on the end of a Tiago header to make it 2-0. It was all over before the hour mark when Ronaldo scored again, this time on one of his trademark free kicks. It was not for the first time in this tournament Chile allowed themselves to get out of control with tackles flying in, and one such challenge earned Gary Medel a second yellow card and his marching orders. Simao had a late opportunity to twist the knife after Ronaldo laid it out on a plate for him but his shot lacked power.

Chile 0 - 3 Portugal
Goalscorers:
POR Ronaldo 38'
POR Costa 47'
POR Ronaldo 58'

Discipline:
CHI Medel 33'
CHI Carmona 58'
CHI Medel 62'

Man of the Match:
POR Christiano Ronaldo

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, Italy vs Japan

Tuesday 29th June 2010 - Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria - Att. 36,742
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

LINEUPS:
Italy (451): Marchetti, Zambrotta, Crischito, Cannavaro (De Sanctis 83'), Chiellini, De Rossi (Cammoranesi 57'), Montelivo, Marchisio, Gilardino (Pazzini 65'), Iaquinta, Pepe
Japan (433): Kawashima, Komano, Nagatomo, Nakazawa, Tanaka, Abe, Endo, Hasebe (K Nakamara 88'), Honda, Okubo (Iwamasa 78'), Matsui (Morimoto 69')

Italy were frustrated early and often against a resolute Japanese defence that had the strike force of Gilardino-Iaquita scratching their heads. The Italians did have the first chance however when Kawashima had to be sharp in the 11th minute to stop Zambrotta's stinging effort. From then on it was Japan who looked favourites to score and ultimately making it count, albeit from the penalty spot, when Keisuke Honda slotted the ball home into the corner. The Japanese counter attack began on a Tanaka interception and Okubo rushed onto his through ball only to be brought down in the box by Cannavaro.

It could have been 2-0 before halftime when Endo's smart interception and quick cross led to Okubo shooting straight at Marchetti. Italy woke up again in the final minutes though and Gilardino finally managed to get himself some room running onto Marchisio's cross but slicing his shot well wide.

Italy once again started a half brightly, probing around the wall Japan had built, but they soon found themselves up against it when, in the 51st minute, a long clearance was gathered up by Endo whose defense splitting pass put Hasabe clean away to double his teams advantage.

Italy refused to fold and their first substitute, Mauro Camoranesi, was involved in their comeback attempt and first goal of the game. It was his aerial victory over Hasebe in the 62nd minute that found Iaquinta who then passed it off to Pepe for a thunderous drive past Kawashima. The next twenty minutes returned the match to a frustrated Italy trying to break down the secure Japanese setup, all without much luck. Indeed the final goal would come from Japan as the broke in slick fashion, the move ending when Honda scored second of the game, third of the World Cup, by heading home Nagatomo's cross.

Italy 1 - 3 Japan
Goalscorers:
JPN Honda 32' (2)
JPN Hasebe 51'
ITA Pepe 62'
JPN Honda 80' (3)

Discipline:
ITA De Rossi 30'
ITA Cannavaro 32'

Man of the Match:
ITA Fabio Cannavaro

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, Brazil vs Spain

Monday 28th June 2010 - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg - Att. 54,096
Referee: Howard Webb (England)

LINEUPS:
Brazil (451): Cesar, Malcon (G Melo 68'), Bastos, Lucio, Juan, G Silva, F Melo (Kleberson 86'), Alves, Fabiano, Kaka, Robinho (Baptista 81')
Spain (442): Casillas, Ramos, Capdevila, Puyol, Pique, Busquets, ALonso, Xavi (D Silva 45'), Villa (Mata 63'), Torres, Iniesta (Pedro 83')

This battle of footballing giants was probably the most hyped of the second round, but a rather drab first half tempered expectations with long periods of non-threatening play broken up by the odd goalscoring opportunity.

The opening quarter of an hour was something of a wash as both sides looked to maintain possession and nothing else. Then suddenly a poor pass was picked off by Brazil's Melo and his through ball found Gilberto Silva who has tapped by a desperate Capdevilla for a penalty. His booking would mean he will miss the quarterfinals if Spain were to come back and win today. Fabiano was cool as he dispatched the spot kick for his second goal of the tournament.

The next moment worthy of mentioning came eleven minutes later when poor control from Malcon allowed Fernando Torres to swoop in and steal the ball before sending Villa clean in on goal. Cesar came to cut down the angle and Villa found his options limited, ultimately crashing his high shot against the crossbar. Brazil then marched down the other end where Melo blazed his effort over the bar after good work from Robinho to pull the ball back to him.

The half ended with a little bit of controversy when Kaka had a goal disallowed in stoppage time. Silva crossed the ball into the goalmouth where Melo headed the ball over to Kaka who looked to have made contact with the ball at the same time as he collided with the goalkeeper. The referee was quick to give a free kick to Spain who only went into the interval down a single goal.

The game opened up a lot in the second half with both teams threatening through good passing and dangerous crosses. Spain were the livelier team out there with Puyol and Iniesta both heading the ball on target but neither could beat Cesar in his goal. After the hour mark Brazil had another chance to score the insurance goal with Kaka denied by an excellent save by Casillas, and ten minutes later they were caught shorthanded in defence allowing David Silva and Torres to orchestrate a neat pass-and-move tactic but still they couldn't find a way past the Brazilian goalie.

Brazil shut down after that scare and, despite a couple of set piece chances for Gilberto Melo and Fabiano, contained the game in the final stages without risking many bodies forward for an attack. 

Brazil 1 - 0 Spain
Goalscorers:
BRA  Fabiano 17'

Discipline:
ESP Capdevila 16'
ESP Puyol 72'
ESP Pique 90'

Man of the Match:
BRA Michel Bastos

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, Netherlands vs New Zealand

Monday 28th June 2010 - Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban - Att. 61,962
Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)

LINEUPS:
Netherlands (451): Vorm, van der Wiel, van Bronckhorst, Heitinga, Mathijsen (Afellay 79'), de Jong, Sneijder, van Bommel (Braafheid 105'), van Persie (Huntelaar 55'), Babel, Robben
New Zealand (343): Paston, Reid, Smith, Nelson, Lochhead, Bertos, Elliott, Vicelich (Clapham 58'), Fallon (Brockie 90'), Wood (McGlinchy 72'), Killen

It was a big day for Holland's Michel Vorm as he had to star this second round match in goal with Stekelenberg suspended, and Ryan Babel got another chance playing up front for the injured Kuyt. For New Zealand they chose to start Chris Wood in attack for a suspended Shane Semltz.

New Zealand held their own against one of the tournament favourites in a match that could have gone either way. They were helped in the 34th minute when Nigel de Jong received his second yellow card of the day to put the Netherlands down to ten men. Prior to this Holland had chances for van Persie and Babel but one was too high and the second deflected for a simple save.

Immediately after the sending off New Zealand had their first look at goal but Rory Fallon headed Smith's cross wide of goal. The first half concluded after another chance for both sides. van Bommel latched onto a poor punch by Paston but shot well wide, and Tommy Smith ran hard to get onto a low free kick only to smash it into the stands.

New Zealand then really should have taken the lead on the hour mark but Vorm proved his worth by getting down very low to stop Wood's fierce effort. The second half as a whole though was a careful affair leading to an even more careful extra time so it would all come down to penalties. Both sides held their nerve extremely well, giving Holland a 6-5 lead, until Michael McGlinchy crashed his shot against the crossbar to end the dream.

Netherlands 0 AET 0 New Zealand, Netherlands win 6-5 on penalties
Goalscorers:
None

Penalties:
NED Babel, Sniedjer, Robben, van der Wiel, Huntelaar, van Bronckhorst
NZL Reid, Killen, Brockie, Elliott, Lochhead, McGlinchy

Discipline:
NED de Jong 6'
NED de Jong 34' (off)
NED Babel 51'

Man of the Match:
NZL Winston Reid

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, South Korea vs Mexico

Sunday 27th June 2010 - Soccer City, Johannesburg - Att. 30,597
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

LINEUPS:
South Korea (451): Ryong, Ri, Pyo, Hyung (Jin 73'), LJ Soo, Yueng (KN Il 88'), Woo, Hun, Young, PJ Sung, Yong (Hwan 63')
Mexico (442): Perez, Aguilar, Salcido, Rodriguez, Moreno (Torres 45'), Marquez, Juarez, Torrado, Franco (Bautista 84'), Dos Santos, Guardado (Vela 63')

After an opening seventeen minutes that would be put to better use by watching paint dry, Korea suddenly sprang to life with Lee Jung Soo receiving a crossfield ball from Woo before cutting inside and thundering his angled shot past Oscar Perez. Pyo and Young then had efforts saved before halftime while Mexico continued to try and find their way into the game.

A halftime substitution for Mexico, with a lackluster Moreno making way for Torres, helped bring them into it a little more with Efrain Juarez coming closest. He ran onto a smart ball from Salcido but his shot was just too high. Korea were happy with to play out their third consecutive 1-0 victory and they march on through the next round without conceding a goal in all four matches.

South Korea 1 - 0 Mexico
Goalscorers:
KOR LJ Soo 17'

Discipline:
MEX Marquez 63'
MEX Juarez 69'
MEX Franco 84'

Man of the Match:
KOR Lee Jung Soo

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, Ghana vs USA

Sunday 27th June 2010 - Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein - Att. 34,976
Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)

LINEUPS:
Ghana (451): Kingson, Pantsil, Sarpei (Addy 82'), John Mensah, Johnathon Mensah, Annan, Asamoah (Appiah 76'), Tagoe, Gyan (Adiyiaho 76'), Prince-Boateng, Ayew
USA (442): Howard, Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Demerit (Bornstein 84'), Onyewu, Bradley (Clark 70'), Edu (Holden 60'), Donovan, Altidore, Findley, Dempsey

Team USA looked the better side through at halftime despite the game tied at 1-1. Ghana were struggling to deal with the pace and trickery of their opponents with free kicks and crosses causing some drama. Findley hit the side netting when he pounced on a free kick that deflected off the wall, and Jozy Altidore got on the end of a cross to force Richard Kingson into a top class save.

Unsurprisingly it was the Americans who opened the scoring. Another free kick was floated neatly into the top corner by Landon Donovan for his second World Cup goal, but the lead only lasted four minutes Kwadwo Asamoah turned in a Ghanian corner.

The restart brought about a chance in mentality with Ghana very much on the front foot with Prince-Boateng's effort swerving wide of the post six minutes into the second half. The next attack gave Ghana the lead. It began with a mistake from Michael Bradley as his pass had very little behind it, ultimately allowing Asamoah provide a very clever chip for Ayew to head past the keeper.

After Gyan wasted his chance to add to the score, another huge mistake from Bradley gave Prince Tagoe the opportunity to dribble through the panicking defence and beat Howard at his near post. The misery as complete for the USA when Asamoah Gyan scored his third goal of the tournament, running onto a quick Prince-Boateng cross.

Ghana 4 - 1 USA
Goalscorers:
USA Donovan 37' (2)
GHA Asamoah 41' (2)
GHA Ayew 55'
GHA Tagoe 68'
GHA Gyan 74' (3)

Discipline:
GHA Sarpei 36'
GHA Asamoah 39'
USA Dempsey 45'

Man of the Match:
GHA John Pantsil (2)

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, England vs Germany

Saturday 26th June 2010 - Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg - Att. 40,510
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

LINEUPS:
England (442): James, Johnson, Dawson, Terry, Upson, Barry, Lampard (J Cole 45' (Wright-Phillips 70')), Milner, Rooney, Defoe (Crouch 45'), Gerrard
Germany (451): Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Friedrich, Mertesacher, Kroos (Trochowski 67'), Oezil, Khedira, Klose (Kiessling 86'), Podolski (Aogo 79'), Mueller

Both sides started with a player missing through suspension; Schweinstiger for the Germans and Ashley Cole for England. Germany hit the ground running in this match with a constant barrage starting in the very first minute when Oezil headed the ball onto the post. Podolski, Mueller and Klose either had shots blocked by a desperate England or, in the case of Podolski, flat out made a mess of it. After ten minutes of this the wall finally broke when Mesut Oezil got onto a ball off a corner kick to make it 1-0.

The first half continued to be fully controlled by Germany but their plan became one of keeping possession. They did create another great chance when Jerome Boateng run onto Mertesacker's through ball but his shot was easy pickings for David James. The England goalkeeper was busy again at the start of the second half, but he must have been happier dealing with the crosses Germany kept sending in rather than another barrage.

England were unable to threaten Manuel Neuer in his goal but with only one goal in it anything could happen. So it was with a sigh of relief for the German fans that they finally turned it on again in the dying minutes. Thomas Mueller sent his shot into the roof of the net as England again failed to deal with a corner, and substitute Stefan Kiessling then followed that up with a goal of his own after he was setup by Oezil. The victors will play Argentina in the last eight.

England 0 - 3 Germany
Goalscorers:
GER Oezil 13'
GER Mueller 86'
GER Kiessling 88'

Discipline:
GER Kroos 7'
GER Oezil 31'
ENG Terry 66'
ENG Milner 78'

Man of the Match:
GER Per Mertesacher

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round, Uruguay vs Argentina

Saturday 26th June 2010 - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth - Att. 84,377
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

LINEUPS:
Uruguay (442): Muslera, M Pereira, Fucile, Lugano, Victorino, Arevalo (A Fernandez 66'), A Pereira (Gonzales 101'), Perez, Suarez, Forlan, Cavani (Eguren 77')
Argentina (442): Romero, Otamendi (Garce 73'), Heinze, Demichelis, Bolatti, Mascherano, Rodriguez, Di Marla (Veron 73'), Higuain, Tevez (Palermo 90'), Messi

Uruguay returned to their first choice lineup with both Fucile and Victorino returning from suspension, but Nicolas Burdisso was missing for Argentina through injury. His replacement, Mario Bolatti, slots into his place.

The opening twenty minutes saw Alvaro Pereira buzzing around for Uruguay creating problems for their opponents, and the first chance of the match was on his head in the 6th minute but his effort flew wide. Once Argentina had settled their first real attack was a masterclass in passing. Heinze and Maxi Rodriguez exchanged the ball with flair before Rodriguez pulled the ball back to the edge of the area for Gonzalo Higuain to hammer into the back of the net; his second goal of the tournament.

Uruguay relied on Alvaro Pereira to get them back on track and it was his shot that deflected off a defender for a corner nine minutes after they fell behind. The delivery was a good one and while Luis Suarez was unable to direct his header on goal, it did fall kindly for an alert Diego Perez and the scoreline was even again. At this point the match became rather cagey but right on the stroke of halftime Uruguay's Suarez ran on to his goalkeeper's clearance and fed it neatly through for Maximillano Pereira but he was unable to get around Romero at full stretch.

The second half continued the cagey motif with fifteen minutes of non-action with the next chances coming from Argentina who took a pair of shots from way out, both from Carlos Tevez. He came close both times with the second brushing the top of the crossbar just a few minutes after his first effort crashed against the frame of the goal from thirty yards out.

Normal time ran out with both teams playing it safe and the only real effort in extra time came from Alvaro Pereira whose long range shot deflected to force Romero to make a smart save and the second round begins with a penalty shootout. Uruguay won the toss and Luis Suarez took himself out to the penalty spot to start proceedings. His rather tame effort was save by Sergio Romero and the next seven penalty takers converted successfully for a 4-3 Argentine advantage. The fifth Uruguayan to step up was substitute Ignacio Gonzalez who blasted his effort over the bar leaving Argentina to progress on to the quarterfinals.

Uruguay 1 (aet) 1 Argentina, Argentina win 4-3 on penalties
Goalscorers:
ARG Higuain 23'
URU Perez 33'

Penalty Shootout:
URU Saurez, Perez, Forlan, M Pereira, Gonzalez
ARG Messi, Higuain, Heinze, Rodriguez

Discipline:
URU M Pereira 42'

Man of the Match:
ARG Maxi Rodriguez

Final Score - WC2010 Second Round Draw

Uruguay vs Argentina
England vs Germany
Ghana vs USA
South Korea vs Mexico
Netherlands vs New Zealand
Brazil vs Spain
Italy vs Japan
Chile vs Portugal

GROUP A
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Uruguay	3	3	0	0	6	1	+5	9
Mexico	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
South Africa	3	1	0	2	3	6	-3	3
France	3	0	1	2	1	4	-3	1
GROUP B
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
South Korea	3	3	0	0	4	0	+4	9
Argentina	3	2	0	1	5	1	+4	6
Greece	3	1	0	2	1	4	-3	3
Nigeria	3	0	0	3	0	5	-5	0
GROUP C
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
England	3	3	0	0	6	2	+4	9
United States	3	2	0	1	3	2	+1	6
Algeria	3	1	0	2	1	2	-2	3
Slovenia	3	0	0	3	1	5	-4	0
GROUP D
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Ghana	3	2	1	0	3	0	+3	7
Germany	3	1	2	0	6	2	+4	5
Serbia	3	1	1	1	4	5	-5	4
Australia	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0

GROUP E
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	1	2	0	5	1	+4	5
Japan	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
Denmark	3	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3
Cameroon	3	0	2	1	3	4	-1	2
GROUP F
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Italy	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1	5
New Zealand	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
Paragauy	3	1	1	1	1	2	-1	4
Slovakia	3	1	0	2	3	3	0	3
GROUP G
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	2	0	1	3	1	+2	6
Portugal	3	1	2	0	1	0	+1	5
Cote d'Ivoire	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
North Korea	3	0	1	2	0	3	-3	1
GROUP H
Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Chile	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9
Spain	3	2	0	1	4	1	+3	6
Honduras	2	0	0	2	1	4	-3	0
Switzerland	2	0	0	2	0	6	-6	0