2010 FIFA World Cup: Power Ranking the Top 15 Blows

The 2010 FIFA World Cup certainly has been hit by a number of blows, and in this article, we rank among them all the top 15 blows which made an impact on the football audience.

Rankings are made from the less significant blows, to the most important blows; and of course, readers still have the option to leave their objections or simple comments. Well, if you think you are ready to explore the slides and make your judgments, then just go ahead and move on; but for your information, videos of the moments mentioned in this slideshow are all available at LiveSoccerTV.com

15. Brazil-Ivory Coast: Ricardo Kaka’s Red Card

Real Madrid’s Ricardo Kaka is normally regarded as one of football’s most humble players, but in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we all happened to see a different image of the star.

Undeniably, the Brazilian midfielder was treated unfairly by referees in the South Africa tournament, but still, it is a fact that Kaka himself kept losing his temper needlessly. Kaka first received a yellow card in his second game against Ivory Coast when he kicked Keita in an attempt to take ball back for his team prior to a free-kick.

Whether by revenge or not, Keita again accused Kaka to have hit him minutes later. This caused the referee to show the Brazilian a red card, although, looking at the replay, Keita had dived theatrically.

Kaka then missed Brazil’s last Group G match against Portugal which ended in a 0-0 draw, but he returned against Chile in the Round of 16, only to get booked again for a real challenge. His miserable World Cup run saw him finish his moments in South Africa as one of the tournament’s most insolent player with 3 yellow cards 4 games.

More on Brazil at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

14. Spain-Switzerland: Shocking Opening Loss For Spain

Spain were expecting to collect 3 points in their opening game against lowly side Switzerland in Group H, at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The UEFA Euro 2008 champions however suffered an upset by going down 1-0, at everyone’s astonishment.

Watching the full encounter, it was sure that Spain were the better side by far; but Switzerland appeared to fight will luck behind them. Although Xavi, David Villa, and Iniesta made wonderful moves in attempts to defend La Roja’s reputation, it was Fernandes of Switzerland who got the winning goal for FIFA’s home country in the second half.

With Torres incapable of making miracles, the game ended on this note, and Spain eventually had 0 point to start their World Cup run with. Fortunately for them, they managed to reach knockout phase, but sadly, they lost their undefeated run record under Coach Del Bosque.

Spain-Switzerland Match Report

13. Portugal-Korea DPR: Worst World Cup Side, Worst World Cup Defeat

Alright, Korea DPR were not regarded as a “Team to Watch” before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but after they held Brazil to a 0-0 draw in the first half of their first game, before losing 2-1 in the second half, many began to believe that they could upset Portugal afterward. Yet, the public had no idea of the outcome of that match...

With Cristiano Ronaldo being terrible in the opening 45 minutes of the game, the Portuguese only stole a 1-0 lead at half time. There were then good hopes for the Koreans who were at least looking forward to a draw.

However, the second half spat out 6 more goals as a gift to the Portuguese, burying the Koreans 7-0 after another 45 minutes.

This defeat, until now, is the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s greatest rout, and following their 3-0 defeat to Ivory Coast on the last day in Group G, Korea DPR ended their World Cup campaign as the tournament’s worst country, behind Cameroon. Certainly, the best way in which one can understand the situation is by looking at the final standings of the group itself:

Brazil: 7 points +3

Portugal: 5 points +7

Ivory Coast: 4 points +1

Korea DPR: 0 points -11

Portugal-Korea DPR video highlights

12. Nigeria-Korea Republic: Nigeria bow out because of Yakubu

On the last match-day of the 2010 World Cup’s Group B, Nigeria needed an important win over Korea Republic to reach the second round, as they were anticipating a defeat for Greece against Argentina on the same night.

Indeed, Greece lost 2-0, but Nigeria were unable to accomplish their mission, and consequently, they returned home as the bottom side of Group B. Yet, this bad luck was all because of Yakubu who failed to score a vital Nigerian goal in the second half, when he found himself unmarked inside the 6-yard box, in front of an unprotected net.

Despite scoring a penalty afterward to level the score to 2-2 eventually, Nigeria were knocked out, as they were incapable of stealing the needed 3 points. Following his funny miss, Yakubu’s name has finally entered the Oxford English Dictionary, but for nothing less than negative and insulting meanings.

Yakubu Miss vs Korea Republic Video Highlights

11. Cameroon, Worst African Side – Stars are just useless

Cameroon ended their 2010 World Cup campaign as the worst African side of the competition. With 0 points, one might have reasons to question the value of powerful stars, especially the use of Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto’o.

Already before the start of the World Cup, a verbal war had broken between the former African Footballer of the Year, and Cameroon legend Roger Milla, upon the devotion of the country’s players nowadays.

Perchance for the same reason, the side performed terribly in the 2010 World Cup finals, and in the end, they earned nothing but remarkable disgrace. Writing further explanations on this blow is certainly useless. The sad situation in Group E speaks for itself.

1. Netherlands: 9 points +4

2. Japan: 6 points +2

3. Denmark: 3 points -3

4. Cameroon: 0 points -3

10. Netherlands-Brazil: Humbled by Sneijder, No 6th World Cup trophy

Brazil entered the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa tournament with the intention of receiving what would have been their 6th World Cup trophy.

Their 2010 World Cup run ended positively for them in Group G, as they collected 7 points to finish ahead of runners-up Portugal who had 5 points.
Brazil raced past Chile in the Round of 16 with a 3-0 triumph, but they were knocked out by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Before that match, many selected Brazil as the favorites to reach the semifinals, but on the field, it seemed to be a different story altogether.

Robinho’s early goal after 10 minutes gave Brazil a 1-0 lead, but in the second half, Netherlands made a historical comeback with 2 goals from Wesley Sneijder to humble and disqualify the Brazilians. That result marked the end of Brazil’s 2010 World Cup campaign, at the disappointment and sadness of many.

Well, who said that a FIFA World Cup without Brazil wasn’t FIFA World Cup?

Related article on Bleacher Report

9. Uruguay-South Africa: Hosts Get defeated 3-0

After drawing 1-1 with Mexico on Day 1, South Africa shockingly lost 3-0 to Uruguay on match-day 2; with goals coming from Diego Forlan and Pereira.

This was a great upset for many, in view of the fact that the host nation was performing under the leadership of great legendary coach Alberto Parreira. Moreover, most the stadium’s supporters that night had sided with South Africa, notwithstanding the intentional volume increase of vuvuzelas against the Uruguayan players.

Sadly for the Bafana Bafana, this defeat now enters football’s history as the biggest loss suffered by an African side in the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.

Uruguay 3-0 South Africa video highlights

8. Argentina-Mexico: Carlos Tevez’ offside goal

Mexico suffered a controversial decision from the referee against Argentina.
Both sides were fighting for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but on 25 minutes, Mexico felt they were unforgivably robbed.

Striker Carlos Tevez failed to beat Perez after connecting with a through ball from Messi, but the Manchester City forward was found offside by the time he found the ball again to head it into the net. All the Mexican defenders saw that mistake, but even though they complained relentlessly to the referee and the linesman, the goal stood.

That incident, along with England’s robbery raised the issue of the introduction of technology in football; but ironically, instead of a helpful solution from FIFA, the governing body prohibited the use of replays in stadiums to prevent players from using giant televisions to justify their arguments on the pitch.

7. Group A: France’s early exit as bottom side

France suffered an early exit in Group A as the bottom side, at everyone’s surprise. This was the result of separation and disrespect within the team.

France drew in their opening match 0-0 with Uruguay, before going down 2-0 against Mexico. They went on to lose their last World Cup match 2-1 to hosts South Africa, finishing their campaign in Group A with only 1 single point.

Here is Group A’s final standings:

1. Uruguay – 7 points

2. Mexico – 4 points

3. South Africa – 4 points

4. France – 1 point

6. Group F: Defending champions Italy’s early exit as bottom side

Honestly, who knew that Italy were going to get knocked out of the 2010 World Cup as the bottom side of Group F with no victory in the competition?

Bravo to those who predicted such a misfortune upon the World Cup title holders! Anyways, this is what happened after they drew twice 1-1 with Paraguay and New Zealand, and after they lost 3-2 on Day 3 to Slovakia.

This also means that Italy scored 4 goals and conceded 5 in only 3 World Cup matches. Below is how Group F looked like after the last games:

1. Paraguay – 5 points

2. Slovakia – 4 points

3. New Zealand – 3 points

4. Italy – 2 points

5. Germany 4-1 England: Frank Lampard’s Cancelled Goal

No one will ever forget the controversy which took place in the Germany-England match in the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s Round of 16.

Germany were leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Klose and Podolski on 20 and 32 minutes respectively, but Upson equalized for the English on 37 minutes to strengthen the Three Lions.

Lampard then fired in a long-range bullet which smashed the cross bar, before bouncing past the goal line. England began the celebrations, but the assistant referee ruled out the goal, convincing the main official that the ball had not crossed the line.

This weakened England who, after half-time, were destroyed 4-1. English fans then complained bitterly by all means, but FIFA rejected the FA’s appeals, as well as the public’s demands for a goal line technology. Perhaps, Germany will be happy to have forced their rivals to pay back for their 1966 robbery.

4. England-Germany: England’s 4-1 loss

England underwent one of the World Cup’s most disgraceful results against Germany in the Round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

With Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, and John Terry all powering the English team, many believed that the 1966 FIFA World Cup hosts were going to humble a young German side. Surprisingly, this wasn’t the case, and it was Germany who appeared to taunt the Three Lions with a humiliating 4-1 victory.

Goals came from Klose, Podolski, and Muller; and in spite of the controversy which occurred in the match, the public only had one question in mind upon England’s negative defeat: Why?

3. Argentina-Germany: Argentina’s 4-0 loss

Argentina and Germany faced each other on June 3 in the quarterfinals, with both teams initially having equal chances of reaching the following round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Shockingly, after conceding an early goal, Diego Maradona’s Albicelestes went on to suffer an unforgettable 4-0 defeat. Goals came from Thomas Muller, Miroslav Klose and Friedrich.

They were hence disqualified from the tournament, with Messi being goalless in the 2010 World Cup. Yet, they were still welcomed as champions back in Argentina, although the country’s press pounced the national team’s strategies in their last encounter.

2. Ghana-Uruguay: Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss

Ghana, who also happened to be the dream of Africa as the last African team in the 2010 World Cup, were awarded a penalty in the dying seconds of their quarterfinal match against Uruguay.

As the Black Stars’ penalty taker, striker Asamoah Gyan was given the chance to convert from the spot in the very last moments of the game to make history. Nonetheless, for some reasons, the 2006 World Cup’s earliest goalscorer was not fortunate enough to be successful.

The goalie went the wrong way, but just as if an invisible man had done the keeper’s job, the ball went off-target. It was only then that Asamoah Gyan realized that he had splashed Africa’s hopes in the 2010 World Cup.

The 24-year-old forward he could only turn back in despair with his t-shirt between his teeth, despite Boateng’s consolation.

1. Ghana-Uruguay: Luis Suarez handball

This act from the Ghana-Uruguay match will never be forgotten in the history of football.

In the 10 final seconds of extra time, Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez punched the ball off the line with his hand to prevent Ghana’s Adiyiah from scoring what should have been the winning header.

This coasted him his presence on the field as he was sent off by the referee, and he could only be left in tears, seeing that the Black Stars were awarded a penalty.

What made his handball even more significant is the fact that if the goal had not been stopped illegally, then Ghana would have broken Africa’s curse in the FIFA World Cup tournament by being the first African side to ever appear in the semifinals.

However, it only took “courage” from the Uruguayan striker to realize the dream of many anti-Africans. He himself admitted after the game that his handball was done intentionally to save his country in the last minute; while he also declared that his act was the real “Hand of God” and not Maradona’s in 1986.

Luckily for Suarez, the penalty was missed, and Uruguay went on to win in the ensuing penalty shoot-out.

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