First tournament held in Africa; remembered for Frank Lampard's wrongly disallowed goal and Luis Suárez's goal-line handball, with Spain's "tiki-taka" side winning their first title.
The first FIFA World Cup on African soil kicked off at Johannesburg's Soccer City with a 1–1 draw between South Africa and Mexico. Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the tournament's opening goal for the host nation. The omnipresent buzzing of vuvuzela horns became a defining soundtrack of the event. Source — Wikipedia:
Argentina won Group B with a perfect nine points under Diego Maradona's management, led by Gonzalo Higuaín's hat-trick against South Korea. South Korea finished second to reach the Round of 16, while Nigeria and Greece were eliminated. Source — Wikipedia:
The United States won Group C after Landon Donovan's stoppage-time goal against Algeria, a strike that saved them from elimination. England finished second despite a lackluster campaign, while Slovenia and Algeria were knocked out. Source — Wikipedia:
Germany topped Group D with wins over Australia and England's eventual conquerors, while Ghana became the only African nation to reach the knockout phase. Serbia and Australia were eliminated in a tightly contested group decided on the final matchday. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_D
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The Netherlands won Group E with a perfect record under Bert van Marwijk. Japan finished second after impressive wins over Cameroon and Denmark, reaching the Round of 16 for the first time on foreign soil. Cameroon and Denmark were eliminated. Source — Wikipedia:
Paraguay topped Group F unbeaten, while Slovakia finished second after a 3–2 win over defending champions Italy. Italy's elimination in the group stage marked the first time a defending champion finished last in its group. New Zealand exited unbeaten but with three draws. Source — Wikipedia:
Spain won Group H despite opening with a 1–0 loss to Switzerland, the tournament's biggest upset. Chile finished second to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1962. Switzerland and Honduras were eliminated, with Switzerland missing a late penalty against Spain that would have complicated the group. Source — Wikipedia:
Brazil won Group G with seven points, ahead of Portugal on five. Ivory Coast were eliminated despite beating North Korea 3–0 on the final day. North Korea conceded twelve goals across three matches in their first World Cup since 1966. Source — Wikipedia:
Uruguay advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2–1 win over South Korea at Port Elizabeth. Luis Suárez scored both goals, including an 80th-minute winner, to send Uruguay to their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1970. Lee Chung-yong had equalized for South Korea in the second half. Source — Wikipedia: )
Ghana reached the quarterfinals after a 2–1 extra-time victory over the United States at Rustenburg. Asamoah Gyan scored the winner three minutes into extra time, sending Ghana through as only the third African nation to reach a World Cup quarterfinal. Kevin-Prince Boateng and Landon Donovan had traded first-half goals. Source — Wikipedia: )
Frank Lampard's shot clearly crossed the goal line after bouncing off the underside of the crossbar, but referee Jorge Larrionda and his assistants failed to award the goal. At 2–1, it would have equalized for England; instead Germany went on to win 4–1. This incident became the defining catalyst for FIFA's eventual adoption of goal-line technology. Source — Wikipedia: )
Germany demolished England 4–1 at Bloemfontein, with Thomas Müller scoring twice in the second half after Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski had given Germany a 2–0 lead. Matthew Upson pulled one back for England before the controversial disallowed goal. The result was England's heaviest World Cup defeat. Source — Wikipedia: )
The Netherlands reached the quarterfinals with a 2–1 win over Slovakia at Durban. Arjen Robben, returning from injury, scored the opener and Wesley Sneijder added a second. Róbert Vittek scored a late penalty for Slovakia in stoppage time, but the Dutch held on comfortably. Source — Wikipedia: )
Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3–1 win over Mexico at Johannesburg. Carlos Tevez scored twice, though his first goal was clearly offside and wrongly allowed by referee Roberto Rosetti. Gonzalo Higuaín added a third before Javier Hernández scored a consolation for Mexico. Source — Wikipedia: )
Spain reached the quarterfinals with a 1–0 win over Portugal at Cape Town. David Villa scored the winner in the 63rd minute, his fourth goal of the tournament. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was largely neutralized, and Ricardo Costa was sent off late for Portugal. Source — Wikipedia: )
Brazil cruised past Chile 3–0 at Ellis Park, with goals from Juan, Luís Fabiano, and Robinho securing a comfortable quarterfinal berth. The win set up a quarterfinal clash with the Netherlands. Chile's attacking approach was neutralized by Brazil's clinical finishing. Source — Wikipedia: )
The Netherlands staged a remarkable comeback to beat Brazil 2–1 at Port Elizabeth. Felipe Melo's own goal leveled the score after Robinho's early opener, and Wesley Sneijder headed the winner in the 68th minute. Melo was later sent off for stamping on Arjen Robben, compounding Brazil's collapse. Source — Wikipedia: )
In the final seconds of extra time with the score 1–1, Luis Suárez deliberately blocked Dominic Adiyiah's header on the goal line with both hands, earning a red card. Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty, and Uruguay won the shootout 4–2. The incident sparked global debate about gamesmanship versus cheating, with Suárez unapologetic, calling it the 'hand of God.' Source — Wikipedia: )
Uruguay advanced 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw with Ghana at Johannesburg. The match went to penalties after Luis Suárez's deliberate handball on the goal line denied Ghana a certain winner in the final seconds of extra time. Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty, hitting the crossbar, and Uruguay won the shootout. Source — Wikipedia: )
Germany produced a stunning 4–0 demolition of Argentina at Cape Town, with Thomas Müller, Miroslas Klose (twice), and Arne Friedrich scoring. The result ended Diego Maradona's reign as Argentina coach and confirmed Germany as the tournament's most devastating counter-attacking side. Klose's brace brought his World Cup total to fourteen goals. Source — Wikipedia: )
Spain reached their first World Cup semifinal with a 1–0 win over Paraguay at Johannesburg. David Villa scored the winner in the 83rd minute, his fifth of the tournament. The match featured missed penalties for both sides, with Xabi Alonso's spot kick retaken and saved after encroachment. Source — Wikipedia: )
The Netherlands reached their third World Cup final with a 3–2 win over Uruguay at Cape Town. Goals from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben in the second half put the Dutch in control after Giovanni van Bronckhorst's stunning opener. Diego Forlán scored a late consolation for Uruguay, who had equalized through Forlán in the first half. Source — Wikipedia: )
Spain reached their first World Cup final with a 1–0 win over Germany at Durban. Carles Puyol's powerful 73rd-minute header from a corner proved decisive. Spain's possession-based tiki-taka style nullified Germany's counter-attacking threat, setting up a final against the Netherlands. Source — Wikipedia: )
Germany secured third place with a 3–2 win over Uruguay at Port Elizabeth. Thomas Müller opened the scoring, and Sami Khedira scored the winner in the 82nd minute after Diego Forlán had equalized late. The entertaining match featured five goals and showcased both sides' attacking quality. Source — Wikipedia: )
Spain won their first World Cup title with a 1–0 victory over the Netherlands after extra time at Johannesburg's Soccer City. Andrés Iniesta scored the winner in the 116th minute, volleying home from a Cesc Fàbregas pass. The match was unusually physical, with fourteen yellow cards and a red card for John Heitinga, as the Netherlands sought to disrupt Spain's passing game. Source — Wikipedia:
Andrés Iniesta's 116th-minute volley from Cesc Fàbregas's pass settled a tense, bad-tempered final and gave Spain their first World Cup. Iniesta removed his shirt to reveal a tribute to deceased teammate Dani Jarque. The goal vindicated Spain's possession-based philosophy and completed a run of four consecutive 1–0 wins in the knockout stage. Source — Wikipedia:
Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong planted his studs into Xabi Alonso's chest in the 28th minute of the Final, a challenge that many felt warranted a straight red card. English referee Howard Webb showed only a yellow, one of fourteen bookings in a brutal final. The Netherlands' foul-heavy approach drew widespread criticism as an attempt to disrupt Spain's tiki-taka rhythm through physical intimidation. Source — Wikipedia: