The second semifinal at Durban:
In a rematch of European Championships final two years ago, these two heavyweights were facing mildly contrasting situations prior to the match. Enthralling everyone with their positive flair and superb counterattacking brand of football, the Germans were left to miss the attacking thrust of Thomas Mueller (favorite for the Adidas Young Player of the Tournament). On the other hand, the Spanish were more ruthless in seeing off a disjointed Portugal side before sending the Paraguayans packing with a 1-0 scoreline, but with Torres misfiring in the limited opportunities he had, the onus was on Vicente del Bosque to either include him on the starting lineup or bring him late as an impact player. Viewed from a tactical standpoint, this was as close to a perfect match you could ever get: the Germans with their quick movement off the ball and the Spanish who were masters in possession. As it turned out, Torres didn't start, but that didn't make any difference to the Spanish gameplan as they controlled the ball and allowed the three-time winners only a couple of shots in the opening half. With Pedro pulling the strings from midfield and David Villa making a nuisance of himself, albeit without any productivity, it was a surprise to see the Germans overly reliant on a break, though it has to be said that the pitch didn't come to their aid at all, being slow and bouncy. With 17 minutes to go, it was left to veteran centerback and Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol to power home a header and send Spain to their first ever World Cup final. Joachim Loew was graceful in accepting defeat, even declaring that Spain were worthy winners of this edition. I'm sure Wesley Sneijder and Co have other ideas.
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