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

URUGUAY VS NETHERLANDS, Cape Town, 06/07/10

Huge Unofficial Football World Championships clashes are coming thick and fast at the moment as the World Cup in South Africa races towards its conclusion. Uruguay vs the Netherlands is yet another must-see UFWC / WC double header, with the South American challengers taking on one of the greatest champions the UFWC has ever seen in a battle to reach the World Cup finals, where a unified unofficial / official title will be up for grabs.

We know all about the Netherlands now: Unofficial Football World Champions; a record-equalling 20 UFWC matches unbeaten; 4th in the UFWC all-time rankings; 48 UFWC wins, more than any other side left in the World Cup; the only side to win every game at this World Cup, and they knocked out Brazil…

The Dutch have moved efficiently and impressively through this tournament, and are looking fairly formidable. Fans of the UFWC aren’t particularly surprised to see the unofficial champions do so well, but the rest of the world is only just getting used to it. And there seems to have been a surge of optimism among Dutch fans – ‘Hup Holland Hup!’ has been the number one trending topic on Twitter recently.

Let’s clear up the thing about the name: The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland. In fact, North Holland (containing Amsterdam) and South Holland (containing The Hague and Rotterdam) are only two of twelve provinces that make up the Netherlands, and ‘Holland’ represents only around 15% of the area of the country. Many of the players, including Wesley Sneijder (Utrecht) and Arjen Robben (Groningen) are not from Holland. So referring to the Netherlands as Holland is technically incorrect – a bit like calling the UK England – although our Dutch correspondents tell us they don’t particularly mind.

As for Uruguay, they have reached the World Cup semi finals via an arguably easier route, most recently surviving an incredible climax to their quarter final match against Ghana to progress on penalties. The Uruguayans are relatively recent holders of the UFWC title, having become unofficial champions with a 2-0 win over Romania in June 2006. They held the title for 6 matches on that occasion, and have won 16 UFWC title matches in total, placing them 12th in the all-time rankings.

The Uruguayans will be without injured midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, and suspended pair Jorge Fucile and Luis Suarez for the game. The latter, of course, misses out due to his amazing last-gasp handball that saved the quarter final game for his country. Captain Diego Lugano is also doubful for the game with a knee problem.

The Netherlands have Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong missing through suspension.

As far as the form guide goes, Uruguay and the Netherlands haven’t played each other for 30 years – the Uruguayans won 2-0 in Montevideo in 1980. The last time the two sides met in the UFWC was actually at a World Cup finals, in 1974 – it ended in a 2-0 win for the Netherlands. Coincidentally, current Uruguay striker Diego Forlan’s father Pablo played in that game.

The possible implications of this game are huge. Firstly, the winner will be UFWC champions. Secondly, they will progress to the World Cup final, where they will face either Germany or Spain. Whatever happens, the World Cup final is now destined to be a UFWC / WC unification match, with the winners walking away as both unofficial and official champions.

Can the Netherlands hold onto their title for the duration and also take the official title? Will Uruguay snatch the title, and go on to be undisputed champs? Or will Germany or Spain step in to win the UFWC / WC double header? Keep watching, because over the next few days we’ll find out the answer.

Match Previews Netherlands, Uruguay

Hate to say we told you so, but fans of the Unofficial Football World Championships aren’t surprised to see the Netherlands, some say Holland, reach the World Cup semi finals. The Dutch are already Unofficial Football World Champions, and have been since November 2008. Since then they’ve been unbeaten in a record-equalling 20 UFWC title matches. Official Champions Italy flew home from South Africa last week. But Unofficial Champions the Netherlands are still there and could well go on to achieve the magnificent feat of becoming both unofficial AND official champions by winning the World Cup.

But how did we get here? Over the course of the World Cup so far this website has attracted a lot of new visitors (around 100,000 of them), so it seems right to offer a quick recap on what the UFWC, how it works, and how the Dutch came to be champions.

The first thing to say is that, whatever happens, the UFWC will continue after the World Cup, so please do keep visiting us here at www.ufwc.co.uk, or get updates by following us on Twitter (@UFWC_Football) joining our Facebook group, signing up for our newsletter, joining our Forum, or maybe all four. (I also tweet UFWC updates and comments on Twitter – I’m @realpaulbrown.)

So what is the Unofficial Football World Championships (UFWC)? Basically it’s an alternative way of working out the best team in the world. It works in a continuous boxing-style title match system, where winners of title matches become title holders and champions, and move up the rankings. The UFWC goes right back to the very first international match in 1872, 58 years before the first World Cup. Every FIFA accredited A match counts in the UFWC, including friendlies. So, when the World Cup finishes, the UFWC will continue to roll on. For more on the history and background of the UFWC see the About section and the FAQ.

The UFWC as an organisation has been around since about 2002. We’ve got a trophy – the CW Alcock Cup – although it’s currently a virtual trophy only. (We’re looking for a sponsor to help us create and present a real version to the winning teams!) We even have a mascot – Hughie the UFWC dinosaur. As you can probably tell, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and the main aim is to make football even more fun and enjoyable than it already is.

So how did the Netherlands get to be UFWC champions? Basically, they defeated the previous champions Sweden 3-1 in November 2008. As previously noted, they’ve remained undefeated since then – either a win or a draw means the team retains the UFWC title. A win gets them a ranking point and moves them up the ranking table. The Dutch are currently 4th in the all-time table, but could go 3rd if they win the World Cup. (Oddly, Scotland top the rankings table, mainly because they dominated the UFWC in the early years of international football when there weren’t many teams involved.)

So now we know that current UFWC champions and title holders the Netherlands will play Uruguay in the World Cup semi finals on Tuesday. (We’ll preview the game on Monday.) If the Netherlands win, they will retain the title and take it into the final. If Uruguay win, they will steal the title and become the new unofficial champions. Whatever happens, at the end of the tournament there will be a unification of the UFWC and WC with one side walking away as both unofficial and official champions.

So, exciting times for the Unofficial Football World Championships and football in general. We’ve no doubt that existing UFWC fans are loving this, and hope that those new to the UFWC will enjoy it too. The UFWC is all about the fans, aiming to make football even more fun and exciting than it already is. Good luck to the Netherlands and Uruguay, and remember that on Tuesday they will be playing for a place in the World Cup final AND the Unofficial Football World Championships. Enjoy.

UFWC News Netherlands, Uruguay