MEXICO 1-1 SPAIN, Mexico City, 11/08/10
Hernandez 12 (Mexico); Silva 90+ (Spain)

A priceless last-gasp strike from substitute David Silva retained the UFWC title for Spain when it looked certain that Mexico would steal their crown.

New Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez scored after 12 minutes, and Mexico looked to be the most likely to win the game, until the fourth official indicated that there would be four minutes of stoppage time at the end. Up popped Manchester City winger Silva, with 93 minutes on the clock, to score a vital equaliser.

The game was played to commemorate 200 years since the start of the war of independence between Mexico and Spain. Oddly, Mexico went into the match without a permanent coach, with Enrique Meza re-appointed for this game only, following the resignation of Javier Aguirre.

Hernandez, or ‘Chicharito’, lined up alongside Arsenal’s Carlos Vela in the Mexico attack. David Villa was left on the bench for Spain, with Fernando Llorente leading the attack. Cesc Fabregas had a couple of scoring opportunities for Spain, but, after going ahead through Hernandez, Mexico could easily have increased their lead through Giovani Dos Santos.

The second half was more about substitutions than goal scoring chances, with Mexico’s temporary coach Meza and Spain’s Vicente del Bosque making 13 changes between them. One of those changes saw Silva replace Mata. Mexico created a handful of decent efforts towards the end of the game, but Spain had more of the possession, and there were no further goals until injury time, when Silva equalised to make it 1-1.

Exactly one month after Spain beat the Netherlands to unify both the official WC and unofficial UFWC titles, the Spanish have seen off their first challengers. The next match will see them travel to Liechtenstein on 3 September to defend the UFWC title in a European qualifier.

We’ll have more reaction to this result, and build-up to the next match, here soon.

Match Reports Mexico, Spain

NETHERLANDS 0-1 SPAIN (AET), Johannesburg, 11/07/10
Iniesta 116

Viva España! Spain are the new undisputed unofficial and official world champions, winning both the Unofficial Football World Championships title and the World Cup to unify both competitions. As current European champions, Spain can also claim to have unified the UFWC, the WC and the EC, a feat that only France have previously achieved. [Correction: West Germany also achieved this.]

In the end, Spain needed extra time to see off previous UFWC champs the Netherlands in a game that didn’t quite live up to its billing as one of the biggest international football matches of all time. But while spectators may not have seen the total football feast that was hoped from two of the most attractive sides in world football, there was plenty to entertain.

Spain left Fernando Torres on the bench and went with David Villa and Pedro up front, while Holland delighted football purists by once again lining up wearing shirts numbered 1 to 11. Unfortunately, the game itself provided little else for football purists, with pass and move pretty much abandoned in favour of kick and shove.

To say that the game was hotly contested would be an understatement. From the start, both sides flung themselves into tackles, and English referee Howard Webb was forced to go to his pocket more times than any other World Cup final official. Five yellow cards were shown with the first 30 minutes after a flurry of fouls, the worst of which was surely Nigel de Jong’s chest-high Kung Fu assault on Xabi Alonso.

There were also chances. Sergio Ramos, Villa and Pedro all had half chances for Spain, Wesley Sneijder struck a decent long range effort for Holland, and Arjen Robben forced the best save of the first half from Iker Casillas. Spain just had the edge at half-time, but with the Dutch creating the odd chance the game was still anyone’s.

The best chance of the second half undoubtedly fell to the Dutch, with Robben racing clear of the Spanish defence, only to see his shot deflect wide off the advancing Casillas. At the other end, Villa almost capitalised on a mistake from John Heitinga, but Maarten Stekelenburg blocked his shot. Again, though, there were more fouls than chances, and the 90 minutes elapsed without a goal.

In extra time, with the teams tiring and attacking substitution made by both managers, the game became more stretched. But again Howard Webb was forced to take centre stage. As the fouls continued it was inevitable that someone would be sent off. With 11 minutes to go, that someone was John Heitinga, dismissed after a second booking, perhaps somewhat unluckily given the number of much worse fouls that had gone unpunished from others on the pitch. And the red card would prove to be a decisive factor.

With five minutes of extra time remaining, a Sneijder free kick was deflected behind by both Cesc Fabregas and Casillas, yet Spain were awarded a goal kick. Then Eljero Elia was fouled on the edge of the Spanish box, only for Howard Webb to wave play on. Spain immediately launched a counter attack, surging through the outnumbered Dutch. Fabregas did well to play in Andres Iniesta, who drove the ball past Stekelenburg into the corner of the Dutch net. 1-0 to Spain and, as the 11 men saw the game out, that was how it ended. Football had new champions.

Spain were deserved victors, having shaded the game throughout. But pundits who lambasted Holland’s ‘thuggish’ tactics were perhaps being a little unfair. While 8 Dutch players were booked, 5 Spaniards also had their names taken, so neither side could be considered to have approached the game as angels. And match winner and man of the match Iniesta could very easily have been sent off for lashing out at Mark van Bommel in the 78th minute.

Spain’s win ended the best ever UFWC title run, with the Dutch having gone 21 title matches unbeaten. It is worth taking a moment to mention the achievements of the Netherlands, who took the title into the World Cup and won every tournament game until being stopped by the excellent Spanish. Along the way, the Dutch climbed to 4th in the all-time UFWC rankings, behind only Scotland, England and Argentina – an incredible achievement for a side that didn’t win a UFWC match until 1973, more than a hundred years after the UFWC began. The Netherland’s epic reign as UFWC champions will not be swiftly forgotten.

But now it is Spain that deserve the plaudits. As undisputed unofficial and official champions they join that select list of nations that has held the unified titles. Spain don’t have a fantastic record in the UFWC – they’ve won 16 UFWC matches and are ranked 12th in the all-time table – but, with such a great team, this is their chance to make their mark on the UFWC competition.

There is dancing in the streets of Madrid, but once the celebrations are over, the hard work must continue. For while the World Cup may be over, the UFWC continues as usual. Next up for Spain is a match against Mexico on 11 August. We’ll be watching. Why not stick around and join us?

Match Reports Netherlands, Spain

URUGUAY 2-3 NETHERLANDS, Cape Town, 06/07/10
Forlan 41, M. Pereira 90+2; Van Bronckhorst 18, Sneijder 70, Robben 73

The Netherlands came through a stiff challenge from Uruguay to make UFWC history, and reach the World Cup Final for the first time since 1978.

The game started on a tame note, as both sides began to get a feel for each other, with nobody eager to make the first mistake in one of the biggest games of the players’ careers. However that didn’t stop both sides from trying, with both sides having some half-hearted efforts but no major threat.

That was until Giovanni Van Bronckhorst got hold of the ball. From an outrageous distance of over 40 yards, he took a sensational shot that aimed like an arrow into the top corner off the post, out of the reach of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, in a goal that will surely be hailed as one of the best, if not the best, goals of the tournament.

The goal seemed to knock Uruguay off their feet as the Netherlands fought on for a second, but in the cruel game of football things are never that easy, as the momentum would soon swing in Uruguay’s favour. Following an accidental kick to the face of Demy De Zeeuw from Martin Caceres (an incident which led to a booking for Caceres, and for Wesley Sneijder for his reaction to the foul), it was Uruguay who were in the supremacy, and ultimately it was Diego Forlan who took advantage.

After finding some room just inside the Netherlands’ third of the pitch, he aimed the ball towards Maarten Stekelenburg’s goal, and even though the ball travelled down the centre of the goal the goalkeeper failed to get a firm hand behind it as Uruguay went into the interval in high spirits, and truly believing that they could reach the final.

Unfortunately, despite this, the second half, like the first, failed to impress in the opening exchanges, as the teams seemed too afraid of losing to actually try to win, and for a long time it seemed that a penalty shootout could be looming. But thankfully for the neutrals, things were about to get a lot more exciting.

After a good spell of Dutch possession, the ball eventually fell to Sneijder in the corner of the box. His shot on goal deflected off a Uruguayan defender and into the corner of the goal to restore a one-goal lead for the Dutch. However there was a hint of luck about the goal as Robin Van Persie, in an offside position, stuck his foot out to kick the ball en route, and even though he didn’t touch it the ball the linesman could easily have decided he was interfering with play and ruled the goal out. There is a saying that every World Cup winners gets a bit of luck along the way, could this have been it for the Netherlands?

And things got even better for the Dutch just three minutes later, when a cross from Dirk Kuyt found the head of Arjen Robben, who headed into the bottom corner, away from Muslera; their third goal of the match to go in off the post.

And Robben could easily have got a second, only for the goalkeeper to block the one-on-one shot. But despite being in the dominant position, the Netherlands finished the match with their backs against the ropes thanks to a late goal for Uruguay. A free kick outside the box was passed to Maxi Pereira, whose well-placed was fired out of Stekelenburg and into the corner, as the Dutch finished the game desperately defending their lead, but they held firm to book their place in the World Cup Final.

The result also “officially” makes this reign the best in UFWC history, having defended the title 21 times since claiming the trophy in November 2008.

In preparation for the World Cup Final we will not only preview the match following the conclusion of the Germany-Spain match, but we wil look at where the match wil fit into UFWC history, looking at previous World Cups and matches, and more, so stay tuned.

Match Reports Netherlands, Uruguay

NETHERLANDS 2-1 BRAZIL, Port Elizabeth, 02/07/10
Sneijder 53, 68; Robinho 10

The Netherlands mounted a stunning second-half comeback, as they defended their UFWC title and booked a place in the World Cup Semi Finals, sending one of the tournament favourites crashing out.

The first half belonged to Brazil, as they looked like world-beaters for the majority of the 45 minutes. And it looked like they could wind up winners by a good margin, as they got the ball in the net twice in the first 10 minutes. Even though the first one was ruled out for offside, the second one most definately was not. A magnificent pass from Felipe Melo from half way found the run of Robinho, who latched onto the ball and hit it to the left of the Dutch goalkeeper, giving the Brazilians a dominant start.

This goal was shortly followed by a decent effort from Dirk Kuyt for the Netherlands, but for the most part the champions failed to get into the match, as the Brazilian defence stood firm and smothered out any attacks as they came. Brazil could easily have doubled their lead in the 25th minute, as a cross in from Daniel Alves found Juan in the box, but under pressure from the defence he could only hit the ball over. And Kaka had his own chance of a goal after 30 minutes, as he curled a shot towards the top corner, only for a save from Maarten Stekelenburg to deny him.

The Netherlands’ first half performance was summed up by their attempted ‘sneaky touch’ corner which failed miserably, as they seemed to lack any fresh ideas, with even Arjen Robben struggling to get past the defence.

However a moment of luck for the Dutch early in the second half was enough for them to spark an incredible revival. A cross in from Wesley Sneijder from a free kick had the Brazilian defenders confused, and while Julio Cesar missed the ball, it found Felipe Melo who headed the ball into his own net (a goal which would later be awarded to Sneijder), giving the Netherlands a free pass back into the match. And they were more than happy to take advantge of it, as they stepped it up a gear against a visibly shaken Brazil. And after some decent chances, they eventualy took the lead. A corner, taken by Robben, found an unmarked Dirk Kuyt at the front of the box, who flicked it back into the mass of bodies, where Wesley Sneijder was on hand to head the ball passed Cesar to the delight of the Dutch fans.

But things were about to get worse for Brazil. In a moment of madness Felipe Melo stamped on Arjen Robben after fouling him, forcing the referee to give him a straight red card, making Brazil’s almost impossible mission even harder. But neither side took their foot off the pedal, as both sides went in search of another goal to help their cause. However even though they had the lead it was the Netherlands who looked most likely to score, as Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Kuyt both had golden chances of putting Brazil out of their misery, but failed to convert.

The result comes as a major surprise as Brazil, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were also favourites to overthrow the Netherlands as UFWC champions. It also means that this incredible reign by the Netherlands is now the joint-longest in terms of title defences, a record which they will break if they make it to the World Cup Final.

Their next UFWC title match will be against the winners of the Quarter Final match between Uruguay and Ghana, on July 6th.

Match Reports brazil, Netherlands