FIFA World Cup 2010 Results: Spain Enter Final

One thing has been decided. The FIFA World Cup 2010 will give us a first time world champion. While this is Spain's maiden entry into a final, the Netherlands have been there in '74 and '78 but lost both times to the respective hosts. Both teams have had a contrasting path to the finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. While the Netherlands have won all their games in the tournament and have looked like a well-oiled machine, the Spanish lost a game in the league stage, just about managed to qualify for the knockout stage, and defeated their opponents by slender margins.

Germany 0 Spain 1
The Germans were hot in this tournament but no one was underestimating the Spanish. The Spaniards held most of the possession during the game and pounded the German goal on many occasions. It was then just a matter of time that they scored. Carles Puyol's 2nd half goal was all it took to send them into their first ever finals. Spain won the European Championships in 2008, their first major title in nearly 50 years. And now they are in the FIFA World Cup finals. As a matter of fact, they defeated Germany by a similar margin in that tournament to take the title. For Germany, again as in the previous world cup, they have to play for the 3rd place. Many German players were in tears, and in contrast, the Spanish players were seen celebrating with great joy.

Round of 16 to Finals

Uruguay

South Korea

USA

Ghana

Holland

Slovakia

Brazil

Chile

Argentina

Mexico

Germany

England

Paraguay

Japan

Spain

Portugal

Uruguay 2-1

Ghana 2-1

Holland 2-1

Brazil 3-0

Argentina 3-1

Germany 4-1

Paraguay 0(5)-0(3)

Spain 1-0

Uruguay 1(4)-1(2)

Holland 2-1

Germany 4-0

Spain 1-0

Holland 3-2

Spain 1-0

Holland (NED) VS Spain (ESP)

(red = knocked out, green = progressed)
So then, the Netherlands will take on Spain at Soccer City in Johannesburg on Sunday in the FIFA World Cup 2010 finals. It will also be interesting to see the FIFA World Rankings that are released after the tournament. It's anybody's guess if Orange will come out tops or will it be the Spanish Armada. Stay tuned.