2010 FIFA World Cup final
The 2010 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2010 World Cup, the 19th edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 11 July 2010, and was contested by the Netherlands and Spain. The event comprised hosts South Africa and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, the Netherlands finished first in Group E, with three wins, after which they defeated Slovakia in the round of 16, Brazil in the quarter-final and Uruguay in the semi-final. Spain finished top of Group H with two wins and one loss, before defeating Portugal in the round of 16, Paraguay in the quarter-final and Germany in the semi-final. The final took place in front of 84,490 supporters, with more than 909 million watching on television, and was refereed by Howard Webb from England.
Event
Sergio Ramos had a chance to score for Spain early in the first half when his shot was saved by Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, while Arjen Robben had a chance for the Netherlands when he hit a low shot from the edge of the penalty area shortly before half-time, which was saved by Iker Casillas. There were numerous bookings throughout the first half, which BBC Sport's Paul Fletcher wrote had "disturbed the rhythm of the match". Robben missed an opportunity in the 62nd minute when he was one-on-one with Casillas, with the goalkeeper able to intercept his attempted shot with the toe of his boot to prevent the goal. David Villa then had a chance for Spain 4 yards (4 m) from the Netherlands goal, but Stekelenburg saved his shot. Ramos missed a header in front of goal on 77 minutes, sending the ball over the crossbar. With the match goalless after 90 minutes, it went to extra time. John Heitinga received a second booking during extra time, which resulted in him being sent off, and four minutes before the end, Andrés Iniesta gave Spain the lead, and the title, with a powerful right footer onto a short pass from Fabregas, into the left corner of the goal to secure a 1–0 win.
Spain's win was their first World Cup title, as well as the first World Cup win by a European team outside Europe. Iniesta was named the man of the match, while Casillas was awarded the Golden Glove as FIFA's outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament. Spain went on to win UEFA Euro 2012 for their third successive trophy, but failed to defend the World Cup at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, becoming the second successive World Cup holders to be eliminated in the group phase after defeats against the Netherlands and Chile.
Match[edit]
Pre-match[edit]
Howard Webb of England was named as the referee for the final, along with fellow Englishmen Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey who were the assistant referees. Webb was the first Englishman to referee a World Cup final since Jack Taylor officiated the 1974 final.[44] A former police officer from Rotherham, Webb was one of the English Select Group of referees, and had officiated Premier League matches since 2003.[45] He was appointed to the FIFA list of international match referees in 2005, and before the World Cup, he had taken charge of the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2009 FA Cup Final.[46] Webb had refereed three prior games at the 2010 World Cup.[44] Yuichi Nishimura and Toru Sagara, both from Japan, were the fourth and fifth officials respectively.[47]
A closing ceremony for the World Cup was held on the pitch before the game, featuring dancers in the colours of the 32 tournament participants.[48] There were also dancers dressed as elephants and hippopotamuses gathered around a watering hole, denoting South Africa's wildlife, and others in clothing typical of the country's urban youth. Video highlights from the tournament were projected on to the pitch, while local music group Ladysmith Black Mambazo performed their song "Rain Rain Beautiful Rain" and Shakira sang the World Cup anthem "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)".[49] Nelson Mandela, who had missed the opening ceremony due to the death of his great-granddaughter in a road accident, made an appearance on the pitch in his wheelchair before the game, alongside wife Graça Machel. He was greeted with a noisy standing ovation and a peal of vuvuzelas from the spectators at the game.[50] Other attendees at the match included members of both the Dutch[51] and Spanish royal families. South African dignitaries and celebrities attended, including Charlize Theron and South African president Jacob Zuma.[50][52] Spaniards Plácido Domingo,[53] Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol[54] were in attendance to cheer on their team. American actor Morgan Freeman, who had played Mandela in the 2009 film Invictus, was also present at the game.[50]