MY 2010 WORLD CUP not in HD

in summary:

position:

winner:
Spain won the wc for the first time in their history and Spain also became the first team to win the World Cup after losing their opening match.

2nd place:
Netherland unlucky for them to not win the wc for their third time in history

3rd place:
Germany maintain their place in the top 3.

award:
golden ball: Diego Forlan (uruguay)

golden boot: Thomas Mueller (germany)
althought goal-tied wth villa(spain) and forlan(uruguay) he was chosen for his three assists and his number of minutes played acting as a tie-breaker.

golden gloves: Iker Casillas (spain)
truly a life-saver stopping Robben thunderous ball.

wonder goals(+):

The flighty Jabulani ball encouraged players to shoot from long range, but only Diego Forlan, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Japan's free-kick takers seemed to get the hang of it. Other goals that stick in the mind include David Villa's long shot against Chile and his solo run against Honduras, Carlos Tevez's netbuster against Mexico, Maicon's ‘did he mean it?' shot from an impossible angle against North Korea, any of Germany's brilliantly incisive counter-attack goals, and of course Siphiwe Tshabalala's thumping strike for the hosts in the opening game.

crowd(-):

there were significant numbers of empty seats at many games, including the Holland-Uruguay semi-final.

vuvuzelas(-):

The wretched things deserve their own section, as they have been a constant soundtrack and in some ways the symbol of the tournament. Even YouTube added a 'Vuvuzela' option so you could have them blaring over whatever video you were watching. They were totally inescapable - even if you muted the TV your ears would get assaulted by the sound of people complaining about them. The charge against the vuvuzela was that it made a sound like a million heavy smokers playing the bagpipes, and the unceasing noise drowned out any 'normal' crowd noise such as cheering, singing and swearing. Oh, and it was incredibly annoying. I quickly got used to the sound, and think it would take a special brand of killjoyery to take the South Africans' plastic trumpets off them because they were disturbing fat slobs watching on the telly. They helped make the tournament memorable and definitely gave us something to talk about. Just don't let them anywhere near a Premier League ground.

jabulani ball(-):

The worst thing about FIFA introducing a new ball for the World Cup is not that it affected the game. It is that the teams moaned constantly, and every long-range strike or goalkeeping error immediately sparked a debate over whether the ball was responsible. New balls always provoke some grumbling, but this time the whingeing was of ear-splitting vuvuzela-chorus volume. It seems the Adidas Jabulani is not the best football ever made, but it is hardly surprising that the Germans, who had been using it in the Bundesliga since February, seemed to cope fine. I enjoyed the quote from the Spanish player who said the ball could make Xavi misplace a long crossfield pass by as much as "one or two metres" - that would represent a major success for most of England's midfielders.

feud(+):

It was a month of discontent within many squads. England had John Terry's coup that never was, Ghana had Sulley Muntari rowing with the coach and Cameroon's players spoke out publicly against Paul Le Guen's tactics. But France's mutinous bunch surpassed themselves. Nicolas Anelka's half-time row with Raymond Domenech during the defeat to Mexico sparked a staggering chain of events. Anelka's rant at the coach was leaked, he was sent home, the players issued a statement protesting the decision, then refused to train as captain Patrice Evra fought the fitness trainer in full view of the world's media, half the team was dropped for the final game against South Africa, France went out ignominiously and the government ordered an investigation in the debacle. It was unedifying, and heartbreaking if you had any love for the French team, but it was enthralling, dramatic and not a little entertaining. It would have been a poorer World Cup without the in-fighting.

star player(-):

Some people revelled in the failure of big names like Wayne Rooney, Franck Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo, citing it as indisputable evidence that there is no 'I' in team. And the mysterious Nike Curse seemed to provide a timely antidote to corporate hubris. The problem with that argument is, all of the stars who flopped in South Africa have shown they can excel in a team at club level. The odd high-profile failure is amusing enough, but at a World Cup you want to see the planet's best players at the top of their game, and it was to the tournament's detriment that so many were unable to do that. Not to take anything away from Forlan, David Villa, Wesley Sneijder and those players who showed a 50-plus-game club season need not prove a barrier to further brilliance at the World Cup.

referee(-):

FIFA's head of refereeing claims the referees have got 96 per cent of their decisions right, a statement whose logic is neatly ripped apart by the Dirty Tackle blog in a post entitled World Cup refs 96 percent accurate, 4 percent awful. The point is there are decisions and decisions, and if you get the big ones wrong you have failed. That is the nature of the beast. FIFA's worst day came when Frank Lampard's shot crossed the line by several furlongs but was ruled out, then Carlos Tevez was even further offside against Mexico but his goal stood. The one positive is FIFA will be shamed into introducing goalline technology, although I think a more comprehensive use of video replays is both feasible and desirable.But what do I know?

tv experience(+):

Well, this is an armchair blog after all. That the World Cup was played in the a convenient time zone represents a major plus. The commentator is really doing their job well and we can control the volume of the tv to avoid hearing the bee sound from the vuvuzelas.plus the experience of HD and night snack really makes us think that tv is truly great.

best quotes:

"We feel like a small footballing nation and it hurts. There's nothing to say other than it's a catastrophe." - France captain Patrice Evra

"Four years ago we were hailed as champions, today we are playing like billy goats." - Italian midfielder Gennaro Gattuso

"He can't take charge of his own children. I don't know how he manages it on a football pitch." - wife of World Cup final referee Howard Webb

"Goals, as a football legend once told me, are like ketchup ... sometimes as much as you try, they don't come out, and when they come, many come all at same time." - The world's most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo

"Absolutely nobody can do it like me! Mine was the first one, totally improvised. You need natural rhythm, movement of the hips. It is all about spontaneity, and it has to be personal, your own thing. Of course, you also have to score a goal first, don't forget!" - Roger Milla

"I'm an old romantic. People may think I have a bad face, but I like to send cards and flowers to my wife and I like to receive them as well." - Brazil hard man Felipe Melo

"Well, it's an octopus." - Stony-faced Spanish defender Carlos Marchena

pictures:

i am absolutely ecstatic when Iniesta scored the winning goal 4 minutes before penalty shoot-outs. To me Spain are truly deserved champion.

ps:most of this post is taken from here