2010 FIFA World Cup Group A
Group A of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 11 June and ended on 22 June 2010.[1] The group consisted of France, Mexico, Uruguay and the host nation South Africa.
Overall
France and South Africa previously met at the 1998 FIFA World Cup; France beat South Africa 3–0. France and Uruguay previously met at the 2002 FIFA World Cup; the match ended 0–0. France and Mexico were in the same group in the first tournament in the 1930 FIFA World Cup; the two nations played the first ever World Cup match, and France won 4–1. France and Mexico had also met in 1954 but neither team qualified for the next round. This is also the second time that France, Mexico, and Uruguay have been drawn in the same group with the host nation; they were grouped with England in 1966, when England and Uruguay advanced to the next round.
The group winners, Uruguay, advanced to face the runners-up from Group B, South Korea, while Mexico, as the group runners-up, faced Argentina, who won Group B. South Africa became the first World Cup host team to fail to advance to the knockout stage after finishing behind Mexico on goal difference. France, despite having made the final in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, also failed to advance after drawing one and losing two matches.
Team |
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uruguay |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
 Mexico |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
 South Africa |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 |
 France |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
All times local (UTC+02)
South Africa vs Mexico
South Africa vs Mexico was the opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010.[2] It was described as an "enthralling" and "pulsating" match. South Africa opened the scoring in the 55th minute after Siphiwe Tshabalala scored off a pass through Mexico's defence by Teko Modise. Mexico's captain Rafael Márquez equalised following a corner kick in the 79th minute.[3] In the final minutes of the match, Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post.[2]
Tshabalala was named as the man of the match. South Africa's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira called the result "fair", while Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre stated "we could have won, we could have lost".[4]
          South Africa[7]
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     Mexico[7]
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Man of the Match:
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Uruguay vs France
France and Uruguay faced each other on 11 June 2010 at the Cape Town Stadium. Despite a red card being given to Uruguay substitute Nicolás Lodeiro in the second half, Uruguay were able to hold a "lacklustre" France to a 0–0 draw.[8] After the match, former World Cup-winning French player Zinedine Zidane criticised the French team, and particularly coach Raymond Domenech, for a lack of teamwork.[9] Domenech claimed after the match to be "happy with the overall performance".[10]
     Uruguay[12]
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     France[12]
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Man of the Match:
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South Africa vs Uruguay
The Uruguayans took the lead first when their forward Diego Forlán unleashed a powerful 30-yard shot which took a deflection off Aaron Mokoena and went past goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who stood rooted to the spot. In the second half, referee Massimo Busacca adjudged that Luis Suárez was brought down by Khune in the penalty area and awarded a penalty, before sending Khune off. Forlán converted the subsequent penalty. Late into injury time Suárez sent a cross past the face of goal and Álvaro Pereira tapped in the ball at the far post.
Post-match, South African coach Carlos Alberto Parreira admitted that his side's opponents played better, but believed that the hosts still had chances to advance. Uruguayan coach Óscar Tabárez praised his side's performance, and believed it was a "huge step" for his team.
South Africa[14]
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     Uruguay[14]
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Man of the Match:
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France vs Mexico
In the second half, Mexican captain Rafael Márquez sent a pass which picked up substitute Javier Hernández, who had sprung the offside trap. Hernández sidestepped French goalie Hugo Lloris before turning the ball in. A few minutes later Pablo Barrera was brought down by Éric Abidal in the penalty area, and fellow substitute Cuauhtémoc Blanco converted the resulting penalty which gave Mexico the 2-0 victory.
The game was overshadowed by French striker Nicolas Anelka launching a tirade of abuse towards coach Raymond Domenech during the half-time interval.[15] Anelka was subsequently dismissed from the squad, which resulted in many squad members, including captain Patrice Evra, boycotting training in the lead-up to the final group stage match against South Africa.[16]
     France[18]
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    Mexico[18]
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Man of the Match:
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Mexico vs Uruguay
Just before half-time, Edinson Cavani sent a looping cross into the penalty area that was headed in by Luis Suárez from the far post. The goal proved enough for Uruguay to win 1-0 and to win Group A. In spite of the loss, Mexico still advanced into the knockout stage as they had the better goal difference compared to South Africa, which was level with them on points.
Mexico[20]
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Uruguay[20]
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Man of the Match:
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France vs South Africa
Twenty minutes off the whistle, a corner from Siphiwe Tshabalala was not properly dealt with by Hugo Lloris, and Bongani Khumalo headed in from the far post. A few minutes later, French midfielder Yoann Gourcuff was sent off for an aerial challenge. Minutes before half-time Tsepo Masilela sent a cross which was turned in by Katlego Mphela from close range, which gave South Africa a 2-0 lead. 25 minutes after the restart, Franck Ribéry sent a square ball which was turned in by Florent Malouda. This was proved to be no more than a consolation goal as South Africa held on for the win. Despite this win, South Africa would fail to advance to the knockout stage, as Mexico had a superior goal difference, becoming the first host nation in World Cup history to fail to reach the knockout stage.
 France[22]
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South Africa[22]
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Man of the Match:
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References
- ↑ "Match Schedule 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa" (PDF) (Press release). fifa.com. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
- 1 2 Holt, Oliver (11 June 2010). "South Africa 1-1 Mexico: The Daily Mirror match report". Daily Mirror (Trinity Mirror). Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ↑ Maasdorp, James (12 June 2010). "South Africa draws in pulsating WC opener". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ↑ Tongue, Steve (12 June 2010). "Marquez damps down incendiary show of South African pride". The Independent (Independent Print Limited). Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ↑ "Match Report: South Africa - Mexico". FIFA. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Match Appointments" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group A – South Africa-Mexico" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ↑ "French held by Uruguay". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 12 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ↑ "Zinedine Zidane critical of France team". Associated Press. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ↑ "France frustrated by stalemate". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 12 June 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ↑ "Match Report: Uruguay - France". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group A – Uruguay-France" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 12 June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ↑ "Match Report: South Africa - Uruguay". FIFA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group A – South Africa-Uruguay" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ↑ "French Revolt leaves Raymond Domenech High and Dry". The Guardian. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ↑ "French football in chaos after players' mutiny". Agence France Press (Google). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ "Match Report: France - Mexico". FIFA. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group A – France-Mexico" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
- ↑ "Match Report: Mexico - Uruguay". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group A – Mexico-Uruguay" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ↑ "Match Report: France - South Africa". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Tactical Line-up – Group A – France-South Africa" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
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