FIFA World Cup 2010

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa. Germany won the bronze medals and after a very good start of South American teams, we have three European teams on the podium of this FIFA World Cup edition. What a surprising final for this competition! Tomorrow we’ll see how the first two places will be shared by Netherlands and Spain. But here we recorded the most important moments of the game.

Uruguay: Muslera, Fucile, Lugano, Godin, Caceres, Maxi Pereira, Perez, Arevalo Rios, Cavani, Suarez, Forlan.

Germany: Butt, Boateng, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Aogo, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil, Jansen, Cacau.

Referee: Benito Archundia Tellez (Mexico).

Germany are playing in all black, Uruguay in their trademark la Celeste Olímpica. The players are meeting FIFA President Joseph Blatter on the field and after this, the national anthems are sung. The Uruguayans set the ball rolling.

5 min: Aogo (Germany) is booked by the referee for a late challenge on Perez.
7 min: Another yellow card for Cacau who handled.
10 min: The second corner for Germany and Friedrich hits the bar with a header!
15 min: After 15 minutes we can say that the game is nice and robust, but Germany are looking the stronger side so far.
19 min: GOAL Uruguay 0-1 Germany. Schweinsteiger, from about 30-yards rattles in an effort which can only be parried by Muslera and there was the excellent 20-year-old Muller to tap it in.
25 min: A nice flowing move by Uruguay which obtain a corner. The South Americans became more active in the last minutes.
28 min: GOAL Uruguay 1-1 Germany. Schweinsteiger is robbed off the ball by Perez. Suarez releases Cavani, who makes no mistake from 14 yards. One of the best goals of the World Cup!
40 min: Both teams are careful. Forlan has not been at his best so far, has hardly had a sniff of the ball.
42 min: Suarez (Uruguay) missed a huge chance to put his team ahead, but he drags his shot wide from 12 yards with nobody in attendance.
45 min: After 3 corners for Germany and one for Uruguay, the referee brings the first half to an end.

50 min: GOAL Uruguay 2-1 Germany. After a period of good pressure, Arevalo Rios crosses from the right and puts in a great ball to Forlan which scores with a scissor-style volley.
56 min: GOAL Uruguay 2-2 Germany. The cross came in from Boateng and Jansen scores with a header!
59 min: Uruguay attack straight away but it comes to nothing.
61 min: Perez (Uruguay) committed a fault and he is booked.
73 min: Cacau is replaced by Kiessling.
74 min: 3 corners for Germany in 2 minutes, but without to score.
76 min: the 4-th corner for Germany without a result.
77 min: Perez is replaced by Gargano.
82 min GOAL Uruguay 2-3 Germany. Ozil executed a corner from the right and Khedira, who nods it home.
93 min: Forlan strikes the bar with his free-kick… incredible, and the referee brings the match to an end!

Germany probably deserved this victory for their play tonight and all through the tournament. Two more statistics at the end: Uruguay played last time against West Germany in 1970, when the Germans won 1-0 scoring by Wolfgang Overath and the last bronze medal match between two former world champions was in 1990: Italy 2-1 England.

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