SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Germany take third place at World Cup finals
Record ID:
1548235
SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Germany take third place at World Cup finals
- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Germany take third place at World Cup finals
- Date: 11th July 2010
- Summary: PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA (JULY 10, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FANS LEAVING STADIUM AFTER GERMANY-URUGUAY PLAYOFF MATCH GERMAN FANS BLOWING VUVUZELAS AS THEY LEAVE STADIUM MORE GERMAN FANS LEAVING STADIUM GERMAN FANS WITH POSTER OF 'PSYCHI OCTUPUS' READING 'PAUL PICKED YOU' (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FAN, WOLFGANG, SAYING: "It was a good game and we got our revenge after losing the last game and now they have won third place" GERMAN FANS CELEBRATING VARIOUS OF URUGUAY FANS LEAVING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) URUGUAY FAN, CARLOS, SAYING: "Uruguay has obviously made it, they've made it into the top four of the 36 teams that started the tournament, so they are at the top of their game, the top of the world" VARIOUS OF GERMAN FANS CELEBRATING
- Embargoed: 26th July 2010 02:05
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVAF2IA3SSNC7HSSO9FGNVEEM6NM
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Germany beat Uruguay 3-2 on Saturday (July 10), to take third place in the World Cup Finals tournament in South Africa.
On a rain-lashed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium pitch in Port Elizabeth, Germany found the attacking flair that was missing in their semi final match against Spain, and won the 3rd/4th place playoff match in their second consecutive World Cup finals.
German fan Wolfgang said the result helped make up for a poor semi final performance.
"It was a good game and we got our revenge after losing the last game and now they have won third place," he said.
Having led early on, the Germans fell 2-1 behind early in the second half but equalised soon after and Sami Khedira headed the winner eight minutes from time.
There was still time for great chances at bothwith Diego Forlan hitting the bar with a stoppage-time free kick.
Forlan and Thomas Mueller, scorer of Germany's opener, both finish the tournament on five goals, level with Spain's David Villa and Wesley Sneijder of Netherlands -- who can of course add to their tally in Sunday's final.
Uruguay too deserve huge credit for their attacking approach in the match but had to settle for fourth, just as they did last time they reached the semi-finals in 1970 when they were also beaten by then-West Germany in the playoff.
Uruguayan fan Carlos said that his nation have proved they had the quality to be among the best teams in the world.
"Uruguay has obviously made it, they've made it into the top four of the 36 teams that started the tournament, so they are at the top of their game, the top of the world." Carlos said.
Saturday's game was the sixth time in a row at this tournament that a European team beat a South American one -- turning the tables completely from the six-game sequence at the start when South Americans were unbeaten against Europeans.
Miroslav Klose's bid to find the one goal he needed to join Ronaldo at the top of the all-time scorer's list on 15 ended when he was ruled out by flu and spent the match on the bench looking very pale alongside fellow victims Lukas Podolksi and Philipp Lahm.
Attention turned instead to the race for the tournament golden boot when Mueller scored after 19 minutes after Fernando Muslera failed to hold Bastian Schweinsteiger's long-range shot.
Uruguay levelled after 28 minutes through Edinson Cavani after Diego Perez had robbed Schweinsteiger on the halfway line.
Uruguay continued to surge forward after the break and went ahead in the 51st minute when Forlan expertly volleyed in a cross by Egidio Arevalo, only for Marcell Jansen to rise high to head in a cross from Jerome Boateng five minutes later.
As the rain lashed down to add an extra element of drama, the game surged from box to box with Luis Suarez, booed at every touch by sections of the crowd unimpressed by his handball against Ghana, missing several good chances and substitute Stefan Kiessling blasting over a sitter for the Germans.
Just as extra time looked likely, Germany struck again as a Mesut Ozil corner bounced around in the six yard box before Khedira nodded it in.
There was still time for Uruguay to launch a series of attacks and with the very last kick of the match Forlan curved in a superb free kick only to sink to his knees in disbelief as it crashed against the bar and out to safety.
Uruguay, so close to elimination by Ghana in the quarter-finals, will go home to a heroes' welcome after their best performance for 40 years and though German fans are more used to their team reaching finals, they too will no doubt appreciate the efforts of their young team who handed both England and Argentina four-goal thrashings. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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