Table of Contents
Introduction
This was the third World Cup held in WE8. This time, the field expanded to 63 nations who participated in this World Cup. Ghana, Mali, Trinidad & Tobago, and Suriname were the new teams in the field. Georgia qualified automatically as the defending champions from the previous World Cup. In the final 32 were 17 nations from Europe, 6 from Africa, 4 from South America, 3 from North America, and 2 from Asia.- Teams Entered: 63
- Champion:
Cote d'Ivoire (1st) - Top Scorer:
Henry (7)
Qualification
Results
CONCACAF
Jamaica – 19 pts +6 GD 19 GF 13 GAUnited States – 18 pts +9 GD 25 GF 16 GA
Suriname – 18 pts +4 GD 14 GF 10 GA
Costa Rica – 11 pts +1 GD 9 GF 8 GA
Trinidad & Tobago – 8 pts -8 GD 4 GF 12 GA
Mexico – 6 pts –11 GD 6 GF 17 GA
Costa Rica 2 – 4 United States [Fonseca, Wanchope; McBride, Wolff, Adu, Casey]
Mexico 0 – 1 Suriname [Redan]
Jamaica 1 – 0 Trinidad & Tobago [Lowe]
Costa Rica 0 – 0 Trinidad & Tobago
United States 5 – 0 Mexico [Wolff, Lopez – OG, McBride x 2, Casey]
Suriname 3 – 3 Jamaica [Engelaar, Hasselbaink, Melchiot; Lowe x 3]
Costa Rica 0 – 1 Jamaica [Fuller]
Mexico 0 – 0 Trinidad & Tobago
United States 3 – 2 Suriname [Adu x 2, Donovan; Hasselbaink, Engelaar]
Suriname 0 – 0 Costa Rica
Jamaica 3 – 2 Mexico [Whitmore x 2, A. Williams; Mendoza, Borgetti]
Trinidad & Tobago 2 – 1 United States [Glen, Beasley – OG; Charles – OG]
Mexico 1 – 1 Costa Rica [Bravo; Wanchope]
Jamaica 2 – 2 United States [Fuller, Daley; Adu x 2]
Trinidad & Tobago 0 – 2 Suriname [Engelaar, Hasselbaink]
United States 2 – 2 Costa Rica [Donovan, Adu; Wanchope, Ronald Gomez]
Suriname 1 – 2 Mexico [Redan; R. Garcia, Torrado]
Trinidad & Tobago 0 – 3 Jamaica [Lowe, Fuller, Lisbie]
Costa Rica 0 – 1 Suriname [Engelaar]
Mexico 0 – 3 Jamaica [A. Williams, Lisbie, Lowe]
United States 2 – 0 Trinidad & Tobago [McBride, Mathis]
Trinidad & Tobago 0 – 1 Costa Rica [Centeno]
Mexico 1 – 2 United States [Torrado; Wolff, Mathis]
Jamaica 0 – 0 Suriname
Jamaica 0 – 3 Costa Rica [Winston Parcs, Alonso Solís, Wanchope]
Trinidad & Tobago 1 – 0 Mexico [Stern John]
Suriname 2 – 1 United States [Redan, Engelaar; McBride]
Costa Rica 0 – 0 Mexico
United States 3 – 3 Jamaica [Casey, Donovan, McBride; Langley, Hyde, Lisbie]
Suriname 2 – 1 Trinidad & Tobago [Melchiot, Davids; Stern John]
AFC
Saudi Arabia – 22 pts +7 GD 17 GF 10 GAAustralia – 19 pts +5 GD 12 GF 7 GA
Japan – 17 pts +5 GD 9 GF 4 GA
South Korea – 14 pts +1 GD 14 GF 13 GA
China – 8 pts -6 GD 7 GF 13 GA
Iran – 3 pts -12 GD 5 GF 17 GA
Japan 0 – 0 Iran
South Korea 1 – 1 China [Kim Dong Jin; Han Kaideng]
Australia 0 – 1 Saudi Arabia [T. Vidmar – OG]
Japan 3 – 1 Saudi Arabia [Takahara, x 3; Al-Shahrani]
Iran 0 – 2 South Korea [Park Ji Sung, Ahn Jung Hwan]
China 2 – 3 Australia [Han Keaideng, Cai Xi; Xu Jinwei – OG, Chipperfield, Cahill]
China 1 – 0 Japan [Qiu Yaying]
Australia 2 – 1 South Korea [Viduka x 2; Ahn Jung Hwan]
Saudi Arabia 2 – 1 Iran [Zaniero – OG, Al-Meshal; Karimi]
Japan 1 – 0 Australia [Kubo]
South Korea 3 – 1 Saudi Arabia [Lee Dong Guk x 2, Seol Ki Hyeon; Ali Basha]
Iran 1 – 2 China [Karimi; Zhai Zongqi, Cai Xi]
South Korea 0 – 2 Japan [Kubo, Nakamura]
Australia 1 – 0 Iran [Viduka]
Saudi Arabia 1 – 0 China [Abushgeer]
Iran 2 – 2 Japan [Mahdavikia, Kamarapon; Glomhamod – OG, Takahara]
China 0 – 2 South Korea [Ahn Jung Hwan, Lee Dong Guk]
Saudi Arabia 2 – 1 Australia [Al-Meshal x 2; Viduka]
Japan 1 – 0 China [Nakamura]
South Korea 0 – 1 Australia [Viduka]
Iran 0 – 2 Saudi Arabia [Al-Meshal, Ali Basha]
Saudi Arabia 0 – 0 Japan
South Korea 3 – 0 Iran [Yoo Sang Chul, Cha Du Ri x 2]
Australia 2 – 0 China [Aloisi x 2]
Australia 0 – 0 Japan
Saudi Arabia 6 – 2 South Korea [Al-Shlhoob x 2, Tukar x 2, Ali Basha, Ali Qahtani; Park Ji Sung, Seol Ki Hyeon]
China 1 – 1 Iran [Han Kaideng; Pehesur]
Japan 0 – 0 South Korea
Iran 0 – 2 Australia [Emerton, Aloisi]
China 0 – 1 Saudi Arabia [Noor]
CONMEBOL Group A
Paraguay – 13 pts +4 GD 10 GF 6 GAChile – 9 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Argentina – 7 pts +2 GD 8 GF 6 GA
Peru – 4 pts -6 GD 8 GF 14 GA
Argentina 4 – 1 Peru [C. Delgado x 2, Crespo x 2; Palacios]
Paraguay 0 – 0 Chile
Peru 1 – 3 Paraguay [Solano; Santa Cruz x 2, Paredes]
Chile 0 – 0 Argentina
Chile 1 – 4 Paraguay [Salas; Santa Cruz, Cardozo x 2, Campos]
Peru 1 – 3 Argentina [Farfan; Claudio Lopez, C. Delgado, Crespo]
Chile 2 – 0 Peru [David Pizzaro, Salas]
Paraguay 1 – 0 Argentina [Cuevas]
Paraguay 0 – 3 Peru [Mendoza, R. Silva x 2]
Argentina 0 – 1 Chile [Salas]
Peru 2 – 2 Chile [Farfan, Pizzaro; David Pizzaro, Salas]
Argentina 1 – 2 Paraguay [Veron; Santa Cruz, Campos]
CONMEBOL Group B
Brazil – 10 pts +2 GD 7 GF 5 GAUruguay – 9 pts +2 GD 6 GF 4 GA
Colombia – 7 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Ecuador – 4 pts -4 GD 6 GF 10 GA
Brazil 1 – 1 Colombia [Luis Fabiano; Anquel]
Ecuador 0 – 2 Uruguay [Liguera, Forlan]
Colombia 2 – 0 Ecuador [Helluro x 2]
Uruguay 0 – 0 Brazil
Uruguay 1 – 1 Colombia [Recoba; Lago – OG]
Ecuador 1 – 1 Brazil [Kabitadez; Emerson]
Ecuador 3 – 1 Colombia [Carlona x 2, Mencis; Oriemo]
Brazil 2 – 1 Uruguay [Roberto Carlos, Adriano; Bueno]
Uruguay 2 – 1 Ecuador [Chevanton, Regueiro; Oak Delmalo]
Colombia 1 – 1 Brazil [Heunongas; Adriano]
Colombia 0 – 0 Uruguay
Brazil 2 – 1 Ecuador [Adriano x2; Carlona]
UEFA Group A
France – 11 pts +4 GD 8 GF 4 GAScotland – 9 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Poland – 7 pts +1 GD 5 GF 4 GA
Ukraine – 3 pts -5 GD 4 GF 9 GA
Poland 0 – 0 France
Ukraine 0 – 0 Scotland
France 1 – 1 Ukraine [Trezeguet; Vorobei]
Scotland 0 – 0 Poland
Scotland 1 – 3 France [Viera – OG; Trezeguet x 2, Henry]
Ukraine 1 – 3 Poland [Niedzielan – OG; Wichniarek x 2, Zewlakow]
Ukraine 0 – 2 France [Henry, Zidane]
Poland 1 – 1 Scotland [Wichniarek; Miller]
France 1 – 0 Poland [Zidane]
Scotland 2 – 1 Ukraine [Fletcher, Gallagher; Vorobei]
France 1 – 2 Scotland [Trezeguet; B. Ferguson, Gallagher]
Poland 1 – 1 Ukraine [Niedzielan; Shevchenko]
UEFA Group B
Greece – 12 pts +4 GD 6 GF 2 GAItaly – 10 pts +2 GD 6 GF 4 GA
Slovakia – 7 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GA
Bulgaria – 2 pts -7 GD 0 GF 7 GA
Slovakia 0 – 1 Italy [Totti]
Bulgaria 0 – 1 Greece [Basinas]
Italy 1 – 0 Bulgaria [Inzaghi]
Greece 0 – 0 Slovakia
Greece 1 – 0 Italy [Nikolaidis]
Bulgaria 0 – 0 Slovakia
Bulgaria 0 – 3 Italy [Vieri x 2, C. Zanetti]
Slovakia 1 – 1 Greece [Janaucho; Halece – OG]
Italy 0 – 2 Slovakia [Reito x 2]
Greece 2 – 0 Bulgaria [Lakis, Charisteas]
Italy 1 – 1 Greece [Totti; Tsartas]
Slovakia 0 – 0 Bulgaria
UEFA Group C
Netherlands – 11 pts +7 GD 10 GF 3 GACroatia – 7 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GA
Ireland – 7 pts -3 GD 1 GF 4 GA
Romania – 4 pts -5 GD 1 GF 6 GA
Croatia 0 – 1 Netherlands [Makaay]
Ireland 0 – 0 Romania
Netherlands 4 – 0 Ireland [Van Nistelrooy, Carr – OG, Overmars, Stam]
Romania 0 – 2 Croatia [Moscaru, Bigohcca]
Romania 0 – 3 Netherlands [Zenden, Tamas – OG, Van Nistelrooy]
Ireland 0 – 0 Croatia
Ireland 1 – 0 Netherlands [Robbie Keane]
Croatia 0 – 0 Romania
Netherlands 1 – 1 Croatia [Seedorf; Kunumalic]
Romania 0 – 0 Ireland
Netherlands 1 – 1 Romania [Van Nistelrooy; Bratu]
Croatia 0 – 0 Ireland
UEFA Group D
Norway – 13 pts +7 GD 15 GF 8 GARussia – 8 pts -3 GD 8 GF 11 GA
Wales – 7 pts +1 GD 5 GF 4 GA
Latvia – 3 pts -5 GD 1 GF 6 GA
Wales 2 – 0 Norway [Jonron, Blork]
Latvia 1 – 1 Russia [Rutsnos; Khokhlov]
Norway 3 – 0 Latvia [F. Johnsen, H. Flo x 2]
Russia 2 – 1 Wales [Sytchev, Kerzhakov; Belasie]
Russia 2 – 3 Norway [Bulykin, Smertin; Solskjaer, Flo, Carew]
Latvia 0 – 0 Wales
Latvia 0 – 1 Norway [Flo]
Wales 0 – 0 Russia
Norway 2 – 2 Wales [Carew, Solskjaer; Kulmaso, Harston]
Russia 1 – 0 Latvia [Bulykin]
Norway 6 – 2 Russia [Flo x 2, Andresen x 2, Bukykin – OG, Carew; Bulykin]
Wales 0 – 0 Latvia
UEFA Group E
Spain – 14 pts +6 GD 7 GF 1 GADenmark – 7 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GA
Slovenia – 5 pts –5 GD 2 GF 7 GA
Belgium – 4 pts -2 GD 3 GF 5 GA
Slovenia 0 – 2 Spain [Exteberria, Raul]
Denmark 0 – 0 Belgium
Spain 0 – 0 Denmark
Belgium 0 – 0 Slovenia
Belgium 0 – 1 Spain [Morientes]
Denmark 0 – 1 Slovenia [Sewasran]
Denmark 0 – 0 Spain
Slovenia 1 – 1 Belgium [Siliak; Sonck]
Spain 2 – 0 Slovenia [Raul, Luque]
Belgium 1 – 1 Denmark [Buffel; Tomasson]
Spain 2 – 1 Belgium [Fernando Torres, Raul; Sonck]
Slovenia 0 – 2 Denmark [Tomasson, Madsen]
UEFA Group F
Turkey – 11 pts +3 GD 6 GF 4 GACzech Republic – 10 pts +2 GD 8 GF 6 GA
Austria – 6 pts -2 GD 1 GF 3 GA
Germany – 5 pts -1 GD 2 GF 4 GA
Turkey 2 – 1 Czech Republic [Fatih A., Nihat; Koller]
Germany 0 – 0 Austria
Czech Republic 1 – 0 Germany [Nedved]
Austria 1 – 0 Turkey [Wallner]
Austria 0 – 2 Czech Republic [Baros x 2]
Germany 0 – 0 Turkey
Germany 1 – 2 Czech Republic [Kuranyi; Lokvenc x 2]
Turkey 0 – 0 Austria
Czech Republic 2 – 3 Turkey [Nedved, Ibrahim Uzulmez - OG; Ilhan x 2, Tayfun]
Austria 0 – 1 Germany [Bobic]
Czech Republic 0 – 0 Austria
Turkey 1 – 0 Germany [Nihat]
UEFA Group G
Finland – 12 pts +4 GD 5 GF 1 GAPortugal – 10 pts +4 GD 7 GF 3 GA
Hungary – 5 pts -4 GD 2 GF 6 GA
Sweden – 2 pts -4 GD 2 GF 6 GA
Portugal 0 – 0 Finland
Sweden 1 – 1 Hungary [Larsson; Miriuta]
Finland 1 – 0 Sweden [Kopteff]
Hungary 0 – 0 Portugal
Hungary 0 – 1 Finland [Forssell]
Sweden 1 – 2 Portugal [Ljungberg; Pauleta, Nuno Valente]
Sweden 0 – 2 Finland [Kuqi x 2]
Portugal 1 – 1 Hungary
Finland 1 – 1 Portugal [Johansson; Pauleta]
Hungary 0 – 0 Sweden
Finland 0 – 0 Hungary
Portugal 3 – 0 Sweden [Rui Costa x 2, Pauleta]
UEFA Group H
Serbia & Montenegro – 12 pts +3 GD 6 GF 3 GASwitzerland – 8 pts +0 GD 5 GF 5 GA
Northern Ireland – 6 pts –2 GD 2 GF 4 GA
England – 5 pts -1 GD 7 GF 8 GA
England 1 – 1 Serbia & Montenegro [Shearer; Mironevic]
Northern Ireland 1 – 0 Switzerland [Jeck Wicky]
Serbia & Montenegro 0 – 0 Northern Ireland
Switzerland 2 – 1 England [Alexander Frei, Chapuisat; Defoe]
Switzerland 0 – 0 Serbia & Montenegro
Northern Ireland 1 – 1 England [Qulin; Owen]
Northern Ireland 0 – 1 Serbia & Montenegro [Brnoric]
England 1 – 2 Switzerland [Shearer; Chapuisat, Alexander Frei]
Serbia & Montenegro 2 – 1 England [Terry – OG, D. Konacevic; Shearer]
Switzerland 0 – 0 Northern Ireland
Serbia & Montenegro 2 – 1 Switzerland [D. Konacevic, Miruic; H. Yakin]
England 2 – 0 Northern Ireland [Wilians – OG, Beckham]
CAF Group A
Cote d'Ivoire – 15 pts +10 GD 21 GF 11 GASouth Africa – 12 pts +1 GD 7 GF 6 GA
Nigeria – 9 pts -7 GD 4 GF 11 GA
Ghana – 8 pts +0 GD 6 GF 6 GA
Morocco – 7 pts –4 GD 8 GF 12 GA
Cote d’Ivoire 0 – 2 South Africa [Buckley, Nhleko]
Morocco 0 – 0 Ghana
BYE: Nigeria
Nigeria 1 – 1 Ghana [Agali; Essien]
South Africa 0 – 0 Morocco
BYE: Cote d’Ivoire
Ghana 3 – 1 South Africa [Muntari, Boakye, Tanko; Fish]
Nigeria 0 – 6 Cote d’Ivoire [Drogba x 4, Dindane, Akale]
BYE: Morocco
South Africa 2 – 0 Nigeria [Koumantarakis x 2]
Cote d’Ivoire 5 – 5 Morocco [Die x 2, Dindane x 3; Delame x 2, Zoro – OG, Bigocare x 2]
BYE: Ghana
Morocco 0 – 1 Nigeria [Kanu]
Ghana 2 – 2 Cote d’Ivoire [Addo, Boakye; Drogba, Kalou]
BYE: South Africa
South Africa 0 – 2 Cote d’Ivoire [Dindane, Drogba]
Ghana 0 – 1 Morocco [Pabos]
BYE: Nigeria
Ghana 0 – 0 Nigeria
Morocco 0 – 0 South Africa
BYE: Cote d’Ivoire
Nigeria 1 – 0 Morocco [Kanu]
Cote d’Ivoire 0 – 0 Ghana
BYE: South Africa
South Africa 1 – 0 Ghana [Mayo]
Cote d’Ivoire 1 – 0 Nigeria [Drogba]
BYE: Morocco
Nigeria 1 – 1 South Africa [Utaka; Koumantarakis]
Morocco 2 – 5 Cote d’Ivoire [Charack x 2; Akale x 3, Bakayoko, Sekou]
BYE: Ghana
CAF Group B
Mali – 19 pts +6 GD 14 GF 8 GATunisia – 14 pts +2 GD 8 GF 6 GA
Cameroon – 10 pts +5 GD 11 GF 6 GA
Egypt – 6 pts -6 GD 4 GF 10 GA
Senegal – 6 pts -7 GD 6 GF 13 GA
Tunisia 1 – 0 Egypt [Butarahm]
Cameroon 1 – 2 Mali [Eto’o; I. Coulibaly, Bagayoko]
BYE: Senegal
Senegal 1 – 3 Mali [Diabang; Kanoute x 2, Bagayoko]
Egypt 1 – 2 Cameroon [Mido; Eto’o, Idorissou]
BYE: Tunisia
Mali 2 – 0 Egypt [Bagayoko x 2]
Senegal 2 – 0 Tunisia [Niang, Diabang]
BYE: Cameroon
Egypt 1 – 0 Senegal [A. Hassan]
Tunisia 1 – 0 Cameroon [Jaili]
BYE: Mali
Cameroon 5 – 0 Senegal
Mali 1 – 3 Tunisia [Kanoute; F.D. Nemtos x 2, Jaili]
BYE: Egypt
Egypt 0 – 0 Tunisia
Mali 1 – 0 Cameroon [Kanoute]
BYE: Senegal
Mali 2 – 1 Senegal [Kanoute, M. Diarra; Niang]
Cameroon 3 – 0 Egypt [Idorissou x 3]
BYE: Tunisia
Senegal 0 – 0 Cameroon
Tunisia 1 – 2 Mali [F.D. Nemtos; Sissoko, Kanoute]
BYE: Egypt
Egypt 1 – 1 Mali [Mido; Kanoute]
Tunisia 1 – 1 Senegal [Jaili; Niang]
BYE: Cameroon
Senegal 1 – 1 Egypt [Faye; Mido]
Cameroon 0 – 1 Tunisia [F.D. Nemtos]
BYE: Mali
Play-offs
Japan 0 – 0 SurinameSuriname 1 – 0 Japan [Engelaar]
Suriname 1 - 0 Japan
Qualified Teams
GeorgiaJamaica
United States
Suriname*
Saudi Arabia*
Australia
Paraguay*
Chile
Brazil
Uruguay
France
Scotland*
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Croatia
Norway
Russia
Spain
Denmark
Czech Republic
Turkey
Finland
Portugal
Serbia & Montenegro
Switzerland
Cote d’Ivoire
South Africa
Nigeria
Mali*
Tunisia
Cameroon
*First time qualifying
World Cup Finals
The actual World Cup itself had 8 groups of 4 with specifications that no team could be grouped with another team from its continent, except Europe. Since there were 17 European teams, there had to be one group of 3 (Group D). The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout stage.This tournament was much different from the previous ones in the sense that there were very few upsets in the group stage. Familiar names like Brazil, Netherlands, Cote d'Ivoire, Spain, Greece, and Norway all advanced fairly easily. France looked to be in trouble with just 2 points from 2 games, but then hammered Uruguay 5-0 in the final match to win the group and advance as well. The biggest shock was defending champions Georgia bowing out after failing to win or lose a game, scoring only 1 goal in 3 straight draws. The United States had also been expected to do big things with their innovative 4-striker formation, but faltered early and were eliminated after just 2 matches.
The group stage did see some of the best games of the tournament. One of which was Norway vs Italy in which the Italians scored with 5 minutes to go to equalize at 1-1, only to see Norway respond with a set piece goal from rarely used Hangeland to win the match, and the group. Also, Croatia had lead the United States 2-0 in that match only to see the USA fight back to a 2-2 scoreline before Croatia won the match with a goal in second half stoppage time. Saudi Arabia, despite being completely outclassed in their group, managed a respectable performance with a narrow loss to Netherlands and a surprising 2-0 victory over Nigeria. The Nigerians turned out to be the only team in the tournament who didn't earn a single point from the group stage.
Europe again dominated the field for the knockout round, advancing 10 teams out of the group stage. South America were impressive sending 3 of their 4 teams through, while Africa managed to get 2 and Asia just one. North America did not have any of its teams pass the group stage.
There proved to be few surprises in the first set of matches as 7 of 8 group winners advanced, Netherlands being the only one who didn't. The quarterfinals were where the tournament really got interesting. Greece have always been a decent team, but not many people expected them to beat Brazil. Not only did they do that, but Papadopoulos netted a hattrick against the Brazilians! The other games were just as exciting as Serbia equalized 5 minutes from the end to send the match into overtime against France. It looked like the French were finished when Serbia scored again early in overtime, but Henry took over and tied it before Trezeguet put in the dagger to escape into the semifinals. Meanwhile Cote d'Ivoire continued their dominance and beat Norway to move on while Turkey also needed a come from behind win to beat South Africa.
In the semifinals Greece gave it their all to take out France, and shut down the tournament's leading goal scorer, Henry, in the process. But it turned out to be a free kick from Pires who did the resilient Greeks in and sent France to their third straight championship match. In the other match, Cote d'Ivoire absolutely exploded on Turkey, thumping them 5-0 behind a Bakayoko hattrick.
In the third place game Turkey and Greece met again, both having come this far from Group D where Greece had won the group thanks to a 1-0 victory over the Turks in the group stage. Turkey got revenge with a brace from Hakan Sukur in the second half to turn the tables and take third place.
Finally, the championship came down to what turned out to be the two best teams in the tournament. Cote d'Ivoire may have struggled in the group stage with 2 draws against Croatia and Finland, but the 3-0 victory over the USA had proven what the team was capable of. The knockout round had been further proof, but if anyone could stop these rampaging elephants, it was the French, who had been here before... twice. France had some scares, but prevailed in all their previous tests as well. Also, having beaten Netherlands and lost to Georgia, the French knew all about playing in the World Cup championship. The experience wouldn't prove to be a factor though, as Cote d'Ivoire were not intimidated and went right after the French from the start, setting the tone for a fast paced game that never slowed down and didn't stop until the final whistle.
The championship match itself was among one of the greatest games of soccer ever played. Both sides played attractive, fluent, and aggressive football that had fans on the edge of their seat for the entire match. The two teams combined for 29 shots and 20 fouls, which were each split fairly equally. The game was never truely dominated by either side, as both just went after each other and countered when they were attacked. Just when it looked like one side was taking the upper hand, the other would come right back at them and nearly score a goal. The offenses played well enough to create many chances that really warranted more goals than the final scoreboard showed, but the defenses played well enough to prevent any. "It was maybe the greatest game of football I've ever played in" commented Zidane afterwards.
The regulation 90 minutes was not enough to contain this match's greatness, as the score stood at 0-0 heading into overtime. "That wasn't a 0-0 match," a soccer expert from the BBC commented. "This was a rare game where the score didn't matter. Obviously in the end it did, but while it was going on, it didn't. It just didn't. In fact, I think that it was 0-0 helped make it so great. It was just great players playing against other great players, making great moves, great passes, great shots, great saves, great tackles... some people say that a lot of goals are scored because of mistakes on the defense. There were absolutely no mistakes today, by either side. That's why there were no goals. It was almost flawless soccer, by all 22 men on the field. It was just so beautiful to watch. And when it went into overtime, you knew it wouldn't be a mistake to win the game, but a flash of pure greatness that out shined everyone and everything else that had happened previously. And by god if we weren't lucky enough to see that happen."
And it did happen. In the 93rd minute, Drogba took the ball and dribbled by 2 defenders who seemingly had him contained. He dashed into the box where Coupet collapsed on him. Any type of shot would have been easily dealt with, but Drogba realized this and made an incredible cut to bring the ball back, avoiding having it stolen, and then crossing it on the ground to Bakayoko. Bakayoko shielded off his defender and struck the ball absolutely perfectly, placing it into the open net. 1-0 to Cote d'Ivoire! The entire stadium errupted.
For the final 12 minutes France threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Ivorians, but the defense was just too much. Cote d'Ivoire didn't bunker either. They kept coming and the game got even better, if that was possible. Die, a late sub, almost put the dagger in with a great through pass from Konan to leave him one on one with Coupet, but Coupet parried it away. In the closing minute Henry didn't have a shot at goal so he kicked it off Boka to get a corner kick. Zidane knew if the keeper got it, it was game over, so he played it short to Trezeguet. Trezeguet made a move to get in position for the cross but Kolo Toure read it perfectly and tackled the ball away. He sent it flying in the air down field and the whistle blew to signal the end of the half, and the end of the game as Cote d'Ivoire's silver goal had earned them the gold: the World Cup championship!
Group Stage
Group A
South Africa – 6 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GACzech Republic – 6 pts +1 GD 2 GF 1 GA
Russia – 4 pts +0 GD 1 GF 1 GA
Chile – 1 pt -2 GD 1 GF 3 GA
Czech Republic 1 – 0 Chile [Baros]
Russia 0 – 1 South Africa [Koumantarakis]
Czech Republic 0 – 1 Russia [Kariaka]
Chile 1 – 2 South Africa [Salas; Zuma x 2]
Czech Republic 1 – 0 South Africa [Jarosik]
Russia 0 – 0 Chile
Group B
Norway – 7 pts +2 GD 4 GF 2 GAParaguay – 4 pts +0 GD 2 GF 2 GA
Italy – 3 pts -1 GD 4 GF 5 GA
Jamaica – 3 pts -1 GD 3 GF 4 GA
Norway 2 – 1 Italy [Riise, Hangeland; Fiore]
Jamaica 1 – 0 Paraguay [Fuller]
Norway 0 – 0 Paraguay
Italy 2 – 1 Jamaica [Totti, Ricketts - OG; Fuller]
Norway 2 – 1 Jamaica [Flo, Solskjaer; Lowe]
Paraguay 2 – 1 Italy [Cuevas, Bonet; Corradi]
Group C
France – 5 pts +5 GD 6 GF 1 GAUruguay – 4 pts -2 GD 5 GF 7 GA
Suriname – 3 pts +0 GD 1 GF 1 GA
Switzerland – 2 pts -3 GD 2 GF 5 GA
France 1 – 1 Switzerland [Saha; H. Yakin]
Suriname 1 – 1 Uruguay [Seedorf; Bueno]
France 0 – 0 Suriname
Uruguay 4 – 1 Switzerland [Dario Silva, Chevanton x 2, Recoba; Berner]
France 5 – 0 Uruguay [Henry x 5]
Switzerland 0 – 0 Suriname
Group D
Greece – 7 pts +2 GD 2 GF 0 GATurkey – 4 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GA
Scotland – 2 pts -1 GD 0 GF 1 GA
Tunisia – 2 pts -2 GD 1 GF 3 GA
Greece 1 – 0 Scotland [Basinas]
Turkey 3 – 1 Tunisia [Nihat, Ilhan, Buazisi; Benam]
Greece 0 – 0 Tunisia
Scotland 0 – 0 Turkey
Greece 1 – 0 Turkey [Nikolaidis]
Tunisia 0 – 0 Scotland
Group E
Netherlands – 7 pts +3 GD 5 GA 2 GASpain – 7 pts +3 GD 4 GF 1 GA
Saudi Arabia – 3 pts -1 GD 2 GF 3 GA
Nigeria – 0 pts -5 GD 1 GF 6 GA
Netherlands 3 – 1 Nigeria [Van Nistelrooy x 3; Odemwingie]
Spain 2 – 0 Saudi Arabia [Morientes, Luque]
Netherlands 1 – 1 Spain [Robben; Morientes]
Saudi Arabia 2 – 0 Nigeria [Al-Meshal, Al-Shahrani]
Netherlands 1 – 0 Saudi Arabia [Stam]
Spain 1 – 0 Nigeria [Fernando Torres]
Group F
Cote d’Ivoire – 5 pts +3 GD 4 GF 1 GACroatia – 5 pts +1 GD 6 GF 5 GA
United States – 3 pts -2 GD 4 GF 6 GA
Finland – 2 pts -2 GD 2 GF 4 GA
Cote d’Ivoire 3 – 0 United States [Dindane, Bakayoko, Ettien]
Croatia 2 – 2 Finland [Prso, Rabaic; Litmanen, Forssell]
Cote d’Ivoire 0 – 0 Finland
Croatia 3 – 2 United States [Roza, Prso x 2; Donovan, Adu]
Cote d’Ivoire 1 – 1 Croatia [Bakari; Roza]
United States 2 – 0 Finland [Donovan, McBride]
Group G
Serbia & Montenegro – 5 pts +1 GD 3 GF 2 GAMali – 3 pts +0 GD 2 GF 2 GA
Georgia – 3 pts +0 GD 1 GF 1 GA
Australia – 2 pts -1 GD 1 GF 2 GA
Georgia 0 – 0 Australia
Serbia & Montenegro 1 – 1 Mali [D. Konacevic; Diarra]
Georgia 1 – 1 Serbia & Montenegro [Iashvili; D. Konacevic]
Australia 1 – 1 Mali [Kante – OG; Kanoute]
Georgia 0 – 0 Mali
Australia 0 – 1 Serbia & Montenegro [Gamsannic]
Group H
Brazil – 9 pts +6 GD 6 GF 0 GAPortugal – 4 pts +0 GD 1 GF 1 GA
Denmark – 2 pts -4 GD 2 GF 6 GA
Cameroon – 1 pt -2 GD 2 GF 4 GA
Brazil 1 – 0 Cameroon [Adriano]
Denmark 0 – 0 Portugal
Brazil 1 – 0 Portugal [Ronaldo]
Denmark 2 – 2 Cameroon [Madsen x 2; Ndiefi x 2]
Brazil 4 – 0 Denmark [Ronaldinho, Ronaldo x 2, Roberto Carlos]
Cameroon 0 – 1 Portugal [Rui Costa]
Knockout Round
Round of Sixteen
Greece 1 – 0 Portugal [Papadopoulos]Brazil 1 – 0 Spain [Adriano]
Serbia & Montenegro 2 – 1 Uruguay [Miruic, Kezman; Forlan]
France 2 – 0 Paraguay [Henry, Saha]
Cote d’Ivoire 2 – 0 Mali [Bakayoko, Drogba]
Norway 2 – 1 Czech Republic [Carew, Flo; Bolf]
Netherlands 1 – 2 Turkey [Van Nistelrooy; Ilhan, Hakan Sukur]
South Africa 2 – 0 Croatia [T. Mokoena, Nhleko]
Quarterfinals
Greece 3 – 1 Brazil [Papadopoulos x 3; Kaka’]Serbia & Montenegro 2 – 3 France [Mexes – OG, Kezman - OT; Pedretti, Henry - OT, Trezeguet - OT]
Cote d’Ivoire 2 – 0 Norway [Dindane, Lundekvam – OG]
Turkey 2 – 1 South Africa [Hamit Altintop, Nihat; Koumantarakis]
Semifinals
Greece 0 – 1 France [Pires]Cote d’Ivoire 5 – 0 Turkey [Bakayoko x 3, Ettien, Konan]
Third Place
Greece 0 – 2 Turkey [Hakan Sukur x 2]Championship
France 0 – 1 Cote d’Ivoire [Bakayoko - OT]Scoring Award
This World Cup was the first World Cup to keep track of goal scorers. The Golden Ball was to be awarded to the player with the most goals combined from the Group Stage and Knockout Stage. The winner of this World Cup's Golden Ball was France's Thierry Henry who scored 7 goals. He narrowly edged Cote d'Ivoire's Bakayoko who had 6, including the winning goal from the championship.The top scorers from the tournament (players with 3 or more) were:
Henry - 7 Bakayoko - 6
Papadopoulos - 4
Van Nistelrooy - 4
Hakan Sukur - 3
Ronaldo - 3
Prso - 3Last modified: ?2?/?14?/?2016? ?2?:?32?:?52? ?AM