Spain's Golden Generation

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With the world's best generation of players, Spain managed to advance to the final after defeating the all powerful Germany with the minimal difference of 1 - 0 on Wednesday. F.C. Barcelona's central defender Carles Puyol entered German's defense after a free kick executed by fellow teammate Xavi Hernandez which seemed impossible for Germany's Manuel Neuer in the 73 minute. Now, the Netherlands will face Spain in the final that will change the history for both teams, given that these two countries have never won the World Cup. This will be the eight time that European teams are the dominant hegemony over any continent, this will be the first time outside of Europe that an European team will win the prestigious prize in the sports world. 'La Furia Roja', nickname known for Spain, played collectively their best game exhibited given for the most part in the match the game that audiences expected since the opener game against Switzerland.

While Germany was more planned into their fast counterattacks, known much throughout this tournament even though when the ball landed on the Germans, it took too much time to generate danger in the Spanish area. With this result, the scoreboard reflected much of the superiority that Spain has gained over the last two years with the European Championship held in Austria/Switzerland in 2008. The Germans, throughout the whole match, were not eager to hold the ball but to watch the direction to where it was headed, but they gained much fear from the Spaniards, which gave them several opportunities to score. You can tell that Germany was in the worst moment in this tournament by far. After scoring eight goals in the past two matches, the starting lineup had stirrups given that they showed a defensive scheme, awaiting their rival to make mistakes.

With this result, Germany's effective and tactical game was left behind with victories over Argentina and England just seemed as a blur.

The Netherlands Advance To The Final

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The Netherlands advanced to the final game after defeating Uruguay with a tight score of 3 - 2 on Tuesday with deadly thrusts of each player and Uruguay's strong resistance, who fought until the end with much life and soul to at least have a hope in the final on Saturday at the Green Point Stadium in Durban. It was too much for the prize reached by the Netherlands after 32 years without a presence in the final, who the Dutch wins matches justly and without any spying to their rivals, the Dutch managed to study the rival very carefully prior to each match. The match was much equal with the rivals going at it with their respective players into finding the goal. The goals made by Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder were the goal that sentenced the game, with the lapse of three minutes from each into scoring their respective goals. The was more closed because for both rivals their defense and their midfield was very solid making impossible for both rivals' rivals impossible to score.

The Netherlands and Uruguay's first goals were magnificent, both were shot from off the area and with much potency and skill, the ball managed to enter the net as if fire were to be touched by the goalkeepers from both teams. Giovani Van Bronckhorst scored the first goal ahead of Uruguay, while Diego Forlan scored the equalizer just minutes before halftime. Van Bronckhorst shot from off the area with no marking and as he measured wityh a tall angle to beat Uruguay's Fernando Muslera. Forlan did almost the same thing, but this time he opened a huge hole in the Dutch defense making it impossible for Stekelenburg to save the ball from going into the net. In both cases as we analyzed the Jabulani ball before the tournament started, it is an unstable ball capable of going into different directions even when it is fooling the accurate measurement of the goalkeepers.

Just when all of Uruguay's national team's lines, the played with much efficacy and audacity of controlling the ball, that was the main objective, the South American team was surprised by the two lethal shots, one from Inter's Wesley Sneijder and a fantastic header from Arjen Robben. There were certain doubts whether or not the second goal was in offside position given that with Sneijder's position, the cameras insinuated that Robin Van Persie touched the ball, which he was in offside position. This sentence by the Dutch hit Uruguay's emotionally and psychologically capable of raising themselves up and tried to recuperate to win the match, but they gave time for the Netherlands to react much faster. Without Forlan, he was substituted due to fatigue, Uruguay went much into the attack more than the defense, that was when the second ball was scored for the "celeste" team in the 92 minute with Maxi Pereira inspired that gave the match an epic proportion, but as time was running out you can see Uruguay's desperation to equalize the scoreboard. Uruguay's bet for goal was impossible given that Luis Suarez was suspended due to a red card for the handball that he prevented from Ghana's national team to score and seal the victory.

The South American team was shown with two forwards up from with Cavani and Forlan, and the defense made up from three midfielders that was made to create the offensive game that they have been doing this tournament. Meanwhile, with this starting lineup it was impossible to make enough goals that could have lead Uruguay in the final. The Netherlands advances to the final for the first time in 32 years.

David Villa Shut Paraguay's Dream

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Spain qualified Saturday to the semifinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg thanks to a miraculous goal from F.C. Barcelona's new striker David Villa just seven minutes before the match ended. Throughout the whole match, Andres Iniesta armed an offensive attack, passed to teammate Pedro, who came fro the right hand side of the field, the ball went on to Villa, who shot with much effectiveness to the net that gave the victory over Paraguay in the 83 minute. With this result, The European champion Spain advances to the semifinals, for the first time since 1950. David Villa has surely become the savior for the Spaniards, which gave them victories over Honduras and Chile, winning in the round of 16 against Portugal and now winning over Paraguay which made a historical pass to the semifinals. Villa now has 5 goals and is competing with other strikers like Miroslav Klose and Wesley Sneijder.

Spain will now face the all powerful Germany in the semifinals, an attractive match that has a history of both, such as the European Championship final in Austria/Switzerland 2008 where Fernando Torres scored the only goal that gave the Spaniards victory and the title as European Champions. Paraguay should have scored in both occassions, but an annulled goal from Nelson Haedo Valdez and a missed penalty shot from Oscar Cardozo could have Paraguay in the best four. Spain could have scored more goals, but David Villa's goal seemed enough after a saved penalty shot executed from Xabi Alonso, but Paraguay's Justo Villar saved the team from a suffered defeat. Paraguay controlled most of the first half, by having four players in the midfield trying to create many opportunities for the strikers to score and to take the advantage to counterattack and surprise the rival. The Spaniards seemed impossible to stop the solid defensive barrier leaded by Paraguay's Paulo Da Silva, but in the second half, Paraguay's effort payed really hard after holding on through the match came the goal that left the team out of the tournament.

With this result, Paraguay leaves the tournament with their heads held up high for having a magnificent participation in this 2010 FIFA World Cup and will expect more in 2014 in Brazil. While the Spaniards, this leaves the European champions with much to dream of and a place to be in the final in Johannesburg.

Argentina's Failure

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Germany, three times World Cup champion, won against Argentina with the just score of 4 - 0, also two times champion, which leaves the South American team out of the World Cup and left many stunned at the result sending Diego Armando Maradona back to Argentina to start from scratch without any titles. The European vicechampions were superior in all their lines and overcame the poor performance of the Argentine team, which didn't learn how to outgrow from all the mistakes made throughout the entire match. With Thomas Müller's early goal in the 3 minute, the South American team was falling apart, Miroslav Klose scored twice in the 68 and 89 minute, and lastly Arne Friedrich scored in the 74 minute. Germany scribbled Argentina, winning with an effective 4 - 0 victory, and showed the whole world that Germany is not just a candidate to win the World Cup, but a serious candidate to win. Spain will the be Germany's rival in the semifinals. Diego Armando Maradona's team lost in this match because they were against a rival with much hierarchy and much seriousness in their soccer.

The German team, led by coach Joachim Löw studied Argentina perfectly, as if they were awake studying their every move, who took advantage of the many mistakes that Argentina made and all of those qualities that lacked Argentina when it came to their offense with Lionel Messi being the best player in the world. Another quality that the German team managed to achieve was to not shot the potency of their strikers: Carlos Tevez, Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, and Argentina's walkthroughs of the rivals before the semifinals. Germany gave Argentina a taste of reality of the major level exhibited from the Europeans rather than the South Americans, having a weak defense, Maradona showed his lack of coaching skills, criticized by much the Argentine press, with this it was the consequence of a horrible score of 4 - 0. The 'albiceleste' team, played with much long shots, as if they were dancing tango, but when it reached Messi's feet, it showed the inability of having Messi and a lonely creator of attacks for strikers Tevez and Higuain. Germany was more superior from the midfield to the offensive because their defense was easily cleared so that the counterattacks are effective enough for the German players to score.

The fantastic header from Thomas Müller, was the beginning of the disentonement result of Argentina's lack of defense and offensive strategies failed to bring, leaving the South American team nervous and without any ideas. The second goal was more of Argentina's ceded spaces to the Germans, which gave the Europeans much individual ideas for the attack, leaving Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose free to roam in Argentina's defensive area. The third goal came about when the Argentinians put their shoulders down and seemed all hope is lost, Bastian Schweinsteiger showed the Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero that he was not nervous, which passed the goal to Arne Friedrich to score. Schweinsteiger became the man of the match, with this result Argentina has not played a semifinal in 20 years. Argentina did not suffer this bad of a score since 1974, when the Netherlands score a win of 4 - 0, which makes this defeat the worst for the South American team.

The Fall of a Titan

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The Netherlands eliminated yesterday the great favorite and five times champion Brazil with a 2 - 1 victory in Port Elizabeth for the quarterfinals in this 2010 FIFA World Cup. With this result, this kills Brazil's dream to become champion for a sixth time until they will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil. This result was the consequence of Dunga's conservative and pragmatic soccer that they have been practicing ever since he was designated as coach of the Brazilian team. Throughout the tournament, Brazil's victories silenced the many critics of Dunga, as well as legendary players Socrates and Pelé, because they were criticizing the way Dunga was not exhibiting the game that the Brazilians were practicing the 'joga bonito' prior to Dunga's designation that led to the obtaining of the World Cup titles in 1994 and 2002. Most of the Brazilian players coached by Dunga was led by the discipline gained through this process of four years, giving the team an image that Dunga wanted a style of game that gave the Brazilian players as an attacking team rather than to see it as an artistic style.

With the Brazilians, it seemed as a revenge of the elimination for the second consecutive time, after the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where they were eliminated by France. Dunga's team was on front of the scoreboard with an effective shot from Manchester City's Robinho, but the match was turned around after Felipe Melo scored with an own goal for the Netherlands, after a magnificent free kick from Inter's Wesley Sneijder, who after scored the second goal that sentenced the Dutch victory for the first time since 1974. Brazil's elimination and failure was due to the fact that it was a team full of defenders, where the team lacked the offensive creativity needed where they needed only one man to create danger and that was Kaká, who he never recoved the level gained in 2007. Brazil played good sometimes, but unfortunately the spark was not there with the South American team. In the first half, Brazil achieved his great game and showed much superiority over the Netherlands, with a sure and confident Felipe Melo and Robinho showing effectiveness and danger along with a much active Kaká.

The first Dutch goal was due to an own goal by Bazilian Felipe Melo, this is the first time that Brazil receives an own goal in the South American team.

Uruguay's South American Pride

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Yesterday, approximately 84,000 people in the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, and millions around the world witnessed the dramatic and epic definition of penalty kicks that gave Uruguay the pass to semifinals of this 2010 FIFA World Cup. This intense match, Uruguay defeated Ghana in penalty kicks 4 - 2, after a draw as full time 1 - 1 and after Ghana's national team missed penalty shot kick at the last minute by the end of the second extra time. With this result, Uruguay will now face the Netherlands, who won with much effectiveness against Brazil. For the first time in 40 years, the Uruguayan national is in the semifinals. The key play of this match was the missed penalty shot that Asamoah Gyan executed, but it was missed after the ball hitting the upper post.

The big consequence for the Uruguayans payed hard after striker Luis Suarez threw the ball out with the hands over the goal line, after the potent header from Ghana's Dominic Adiyiah, but unfortunately Suarez received a red card and possibly miss the next matches if Uruguay advances further in this tournament. Suarez is Uruguay's top scorer with three goals in this tournament so far, making Suarez one of the World Cup's lethal strikers. The tears and disappointment was mainly for Ghana because of the missed penalty shot, which could have given the African team hope for the continent for a place in the semifinals. With Uruguay's greatest achievement in this tournament, their luck has grown after being the last team to qualify for the World Cup, is still alive in this tournament in the semifinals playing against the Netherlands. Their luck has also grown during the penalty kicks where Uruguay's goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saved two of Ghana's penalty shots, and Sebastian 'El Loco' Abreu, kicking with effectiveness the ball to shoot Uruguay's last penalty shot, thus advancing to the next round.

Before the penalty shots and the added extra time, in the first half, Ghana's Sulley Muntari scored by the end with a long shot that goalkeeper Fernando Muslera reacted late and couldn't prevent the ball from going into the net. Then, at the second half Uruguay outgrew Ghana, with Uruguay's Diego Forlan's goal after a free kick, Uruguay became dangerous. On Tuesday, Uruguay will face the Netherlands, who surprisively eliminated Brazil with a 2 - 1 victory. If Uruguay wins over the Netherlands, it will be the first time the South American advances to the final since 1950.

Brazil vs. Netherlands: Classic Titans

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Brazil and the Netherlands will host the opening match of the quartefinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a much anticipated final that will have much to talk about with the days to come. Both teams have so much in common, but with different qualities that wit their respective techniques in their way of playing is in the way to conserve the result as much as possible to put either team in the semifinals. Both teams seem to emphasize in their techniques offensively and defensively but has much technique when it comes to the dynamic velocity, solid defense in the back, and the lethal counterattacks, that can exhibit the good soccer plays to the audience to see the level demonstrated to the thousands of fans that will witness the greatest game ever played. We do not know much of the starting lineups from both teams until an hour before the match. Brazil will have the hard task to getting together mentally and psychologically for this decisive match that will put either teams as the four best teams in the world, given that Elano, Julio Baptista and Felipe Melo and injured and Ramires, due to suspension he will not play in this match.

Galatasaray's midfielder Elano's situation complicates Dunga's plan, this injury will possibly leave Elano completely out of the World Cup. Dunga now has to put into plan the polifunctional player, given that he substituted Elano in the match against Chile, but it gives them a certain rythm for the team to work. There has been many questions surrounding the Brazilian national team's ability to beat the Deutsch, due to the fact that Dunga's team has been irregular in previous games, but key players like Kaká, Luis Fabiano, and Robinho to give them a certain hope to score and to advance to the next round. The Netherlands gained with much authority their victory over the Danish, Japanese, Camerouns and the Slovakians. But the Netherlands spark hasn't appeared yet, it has been shown sometimes throughout this tournament in South Africa.

Deutsch coach Bert van Marwijk has all their players' focus in this match, but the main preoccupation for the Brazilians is the physical state of Bayern Munich striker, Arjen Robben. Added to this stress is Inter's midfielder Wesley Sneijder given that he is teammates with much of the Brazilian national team like Maicon, Lucio and Julio. With much attention and effectiveness that the Brazilians have shown in this tournament, they surely will succeed and advance to the next round.