Germany once again would play in the World Cup third place match as they faced South American side Uruguay. It was a disappointing result for Germany to lose in the semifinals while Uruguay have exceeded expectations and had a great World Cup.

Uruguay 2-3 Germany Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Uruguay 2-3 Germany Recap

Germany would come from behind in the second to finish third in the World Cup for the second time in a row.

It was match that would go back and forth but ultimately the Europeans proved to be the better side. The goals for Germany came from Thomas Muller in the 19th minute, Marcell Jansen in the 56th minute, and from Sami Khedira in the 82nd minute.

For Uruguay, the goals were from Diego Forlan in the 51st minute and Edinson Cavani in the 28th minute. Uruguay almost leveled the match in stoppage time as Forlan has a penalty kick that hit off the post.

Even though they lost, it has to be considered a successful run for Uruguay. Germany will be satisfied to finish the tournament with a win.

Uruguay 2-3 Germany Match Stats

Germany will once again play in the third place match of the World Cup as they face South American side Uruguay. The match will take place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Por Elizabeth, South Africa on Saturday, July 10, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:30 BST, 20:30 local time in South Africa, and 14:30 EST.

It will be televised on ABC in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, SuperSport in Africa, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, RAI Uno in Italy, TF 1 in France, ARD Das Erste in Germany, and on ITV 1 in the United Kingdom. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Uruguay v Germany Preview

Uruguay heads into the match with a lot of optimism while Germany remains disappointed they once again lost in the semifinals. Germany played in the third place match in the 2006 World Cup and is a nation that always is aiming to win the title. Uruguay hasn’t won the World Cup in decades and has exceeded all expectations with their run into the semifinals.

The main threat for Uruguay has been Diego Forlan who has been one of the top players in the tournament. Luis Suarez, who had the handball against Ghana in extra time, is the other offensive threat for Uruguay. He hasn’t been as consistent as Forlan but capable of moments of brilliance such as his goal against South Korea.

Germany is a young team but continues to be a consistent side in the World Cup. Along with their youth, the experienced striker Miroslav Klose has four goals in the tournament and 14 in his entire World Cup career. Other players who had impressed are Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinstieger.

It’s a match where Germany should have more possession and Uruguay will rely on counterattacking chances for Forlan and Suarez. Can Germany recover from the disappointing loss against Spain in the semifinals? Does Uruguay have one more win left in them during this World Cup?

Paul the octopus, who predicts the World Cup matches, did choose Germany to win this match. He has correctly chosen all of Germany’s matches and appears to be on track for this one. Germany are the better team and should be motivated to end the World Cup with a victory.

Competition Stats

Betting Odds

Uruguay win – 7/2

Draw (after 90 minutes) – 13/5

Germany win – 8/11

Uruguay v Germany Prediction

Germany will win the match 2-1.

Watch Uruguay v Germany Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

Below is our prediction for the third place match.

2010 FIFA World Cup Third Place Match Prediction

Saturday, 10 July 2010 (time listed is 19:30 BST, -5 for EST or +1 for CET)

Uruguay v Germany, 3rd, 19:30 – Germany wins 2-1

Below is the time of the match.

2010 FIFA World Cup Third Place Match

Saturday, 10 July 2010 (time listed is 19:30 BST, -5 for EST or +1 for CET)

Uruguay v Germany, 3rd, 19:30

The first semifinal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup took place on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 with the Netherlands taking on Uruguay. The Dutch would be favored in the match but Uruguay have had one of the best players in the World Cup, Diego Forlan.

Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands Recap

The Netherlands would score two second half goals to move into the World Cup final and a chance win their first title.

The Dutch were the better side throughout the match and would take the lead in the 18th minute with a long range shot from Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. Uruguay would level the match in the 41st minute with a Diego Forlan free kick.

In the second half, the Netherlands continued to control the match and would score two goals in a three minute span to seal the victory. The goals were from Wesley Sneijder in the 70th minute and Arjen Robben in the 73rd minute. Uruguay did get a goal in stoppage time from Maxi Pereira but it wasn’t enough.

The win puts the Dutch in the final while Uruguay will place for 3rd place.

Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands Match Stats

The semifinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup begin on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 with South American side Uruguay taking on the Netherlands. So, what will be the keys to the match and important players? Below are a list.

Uruguay v Netherlands – Keys To the Match

• Diego Forlan – The Uruguay player has had a great tournament and will need to provide the scoring with Luis Suarez unavailable (red card. If he has a great match then Uruguay will have a shot but if he struggles then the Netherlands could cruise to victory.
• Wesley Sneijder & Arjen Robben – The two Dutch players have been in great form in the last few months. Both have scored goals in the World Cup and are capable of taking control of the match.
• Pressure On The Netherlands – The Dutch are favored and it will be interesting to see how they deal with this pressure. They have never won a World Cup despite having a very strong team and are heavily favored to win this match. A few teams have already gone out of this World Cup in that position including Brazil, England, France, and Italy. Will the Netherlands handle the expectations of an entire nation?
• The Goalkeepers – This World Cup has been one with several mistakes by the goalkeepers. Both goalkeepers for these sides have not made any major mistakes but there’s always a chance that it could happen. In a semifinal, one mistake could be the difference.
• Set Pieces – It’s always an important factor in matches and should be once again in this one. Forlan is a constant threat on free kicks while the Netherlands can score on corners or other set pieces. It’s more than likely at least one goal will come from a set piece and how each team defends these will likely determine the winner.

The Netherlands are one win away from the final as they aim for their first World Cup title as they face Uruguay in the semifinals. The match will take place at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:30 BST, 20:30 local time in South Africa, and 14:30 EST.

It will be televised on ESPN in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, ITV 1 in the United Kingdom, ZDF in Germany, TF 1 in France, Nederland 1 in the Netherlands, and on SuperSport in Africa. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Uruguay v Netherlands Preview

The Netherlands are now favorites in this semifinal after their upset of Brazil in the quarterfinals. Holland have always been a strong team but probably the best never to win the World Cup. This tournament could finally change that as they came back from an 0-1 deficit against Brazil and are the clear favorite to reach the final.

Uruguay have not dominated in their last two matches and barely edged Ghana to reach the semifinals. They reached on penalty kicks as Luis Suarez had a deliberate handball to save a goal and Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan missed the 120th minute penalty. Suarez will now be unavailable for this match which will put even more pressure on striker Diego Forlan. The Atletico Madrid star has been one of the best players in the tournament and capable of scoring from a variety of ways. He has scored on free kicks and will be the main focus of the Dutch defense.

For the Netherlands, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben have been their key players who help to control the midfield and create chances. The two played against each other in the UEFA Champions League with Sneijder’s Inter Milan capturing the trophy. While these two players are important, the Dutch are much deeper than Uruguay and have plenty of other options. Robin Van Persie, Rafael Van Der Vaart, and Dirk Kuyt are all quality players who play for top clubs in Europe.

Few expected Uruguay to make it this far but they have been a bit lucky with the easiest draw. They have yet to face one of the top nations in the tournament (France were horrible this World Cup) and will need to play much better in the semifinals. A player like Forlan will always give Uruguay a chance but the Netherlands are simply a better side. Even if one of their top stars doesn’t have a great match, there are three or four other players ready to step up.

It should be a close match as Uruguay can’t be overlooked but the Dutch will reach the final.

Competition Stats

Betting Odds

Uruguay win – 5/1

Draw (after 90 minutes) – 13/5

Netherlands win – 8/13

Uruguay v Netherlands Prediction

The Netherlands will win the match 2-1.

Watch Uruguay v Netherlands Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

Germany and Uruguay are the two nations who have won a World Cup while Spain and the Netherlands are looking for their first title. Below are predictions for both semifinals matches.

2010 FIFA World Cup Semifinals Predictions

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Uruguay v Netherlands, SF, 19:30 – Netherlands will win the match 2-1

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Germany v Spain, SF, 19:30 – Germany will win the match 3-2

2010 FIFA World Cup Semifinals Draw

Semi-finals (times listed are local South Africa time or CET, -1 for BST, and -6 for EST)

6 July 2010 20:30	Uruguay	Match 61	Netherlands	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

7 July 2010 20:30	Germany	Match 62	Spain	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

The favorites heading into the tournament, Spain, looked to reach the semifinals for the first time in the World Cup as they faced Paraguay. The winner of this match would face Germany in the semifinals on Wednesday. July 7, 2010.

Paraguay 0-1 Spain Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Paraguay 0-1 Spain Recap

It was an eventful match that would see two penalty kicks missed but Spain eventually advancing to the semifinals.

Spain was the better team throughout the match but struggled to break down the Paraguay defense until late in the second half. Both teams had penalties in the second half but both were saved.

Eventually, Spain would get a goal as David Villa scored in the 83rd minute. It was a play that was the result of a great run by Iniesta who passed to Pedro who then had a shot that hit off the post. The rebound would fall to Villa who scored with a shot to the far post.

Paraguay did have one great chance late but Iker Casillas came off his line to make a solid save. Spain will now face Germany in the semifinals which will be a rematch of the 2008 European Championships final.

Paraguay 0-1 Spain Match Stats