Sudáfrica 2010 - FIFA.com

Nigeria in their second game. In the fi nal round of group
matches, however, the Koreans drew 2-2 with Nigeria
while the Greeks succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands
of Argentina, which signalled an early departure for the
2004 European champions. Nigeria were left to rue their
profl igacy in front of goal as they fi nished at the foot of
Group B.
Group C: Americans spring a surprise
Group C was closer than many had expected. The USA
sprang a surprise in the opening match by holding England
to a 1-1 draw. Slovenia overcame Algeria in the other match
in Group C, and as the second round of matches ended
in two draws after some dramatic action, there was still
everything to play for on the fi nal day. England fi nally found
their feet and lived up to their favourites tag by defeating
Slovenia 1-0, but they were powerless to prevent the USA
claiming top spot as the Americans struck in the last minute
to defeat Algeria by the same scoreline. Algeria therefore
became the next African team to leave the tournament.
Their main failing was their lack of a goalscorer to convert
the chances that came their way.
Group D: drama from start to fi nish
Group D was tense until the very last minute. Germany
came fl ying out of the blocks, brushing Australia aside
4-0, but in their second game against Serbia, they had to
play with only ten men for around an hour after losing
Klose to a red card. They also missed a penalty, which was
another factor in their narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of
Serbia. Ghana, meanwhile, had four points to their name
thanks to two goals from the penalty spot (in a 1-0 victory
over Serbia and a 1-1 draw with Australia). Going into the
last round of games in Group D, all four teams still had a
chance of qualifying for the next round. As the last two
matches entered the closing stages, those places were still
up for grabs. In the end, it was Germany and Ghana who
fi nished as the top two. Germany defeated Ghana 1-0
to secure top spot, but the Africans pipped Australia to
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
second place due to their superior goal difference. Serbia
missed out on a place in the round of 16 after losing 2-1 to
Australia.
Group E: Dutch cruise to top spot
Group E was dominated by the Netherlands, who claimed
top spot with maximum points. Japan overcame Cameroon
1-0 in their fi rst match, but lost to the Dutch by the same
scoreline in their second game despite playing well, and they
also impressed in their third game, a comfortable 3-1 victory
over Denmark. This secured second spot for the Japanese,
which meant a place in the round of 16. Denmark lost to the
Netherlands in their opening match but defeated Cameroon
in the next game, and they would have qualifi ed if they had
beaten Japan in their fi nal match. Cameroon, however, lost
all three of their matches by a single goal and were unable
to live up to pre-tournament expectations.
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