Spain. 1-0. Iniesta.
And with that, ladies and gentlemen – the World Cup is officially over! Normal sleeping patterns can now be resumed. All those late nights are going to have to be blamed on something else. Before we go though, a quick round up of the best, and worst from the World Cup 2010.
Thumbs Down
1. Pim Verbeek
The boys wound up covering themselves in glory this tournament, but any real hope we had of progression was gone after the first game. We may never know what made Pim decide to tinker with our formation 30 minutes before kick off in the most important game of his tenure. What we do know is that his “tactical decisions” were “unmitigated balls ups”. Thanks anyways Pim.
2. Vuvezulas
Loud. Annoying. And now that they are finally ending, I think I am going to miss them.
3. The French
Spent the entire tournament fighting amongst themselves. Went on strike and refused to train. Didn’t win a match. Got eliminated in the group stages and turned on their coach through the media viciously once the tournament had finished. Four years ago, they very nearly won the whole thing.
4. The Officiating
When the British press puts two of your tournaments blunders into a list of the 10 worst officiating decisions of all time, then it might be time to re-think that stance on technology.
5. Wayne Rooney
Rooney came into the World Cup with a reputation as one of the most dangerous strikers on the planet, but he never really found his stride. His team barely survived the pool stages and were then summarily dismissed by a rampant German outfit. Following that he was voted the ugliest footballer on the planet. Tough fortnight.
Thumbs up
1. Germany
Exciting. Passionate. Fun to watch. Capable goal scorers and all round entertainers. Who saw this coming?
2. Paul the Psychic Octopus
Germany’s love affair with Psychic Octopus called Paul came to an end when the prognosticating cephalod tipped Spain in the semi final clash. Germany lost, but that didn’t stop him. He carried on right to the end, finishing the tournament with a perfect tipping record.
3. Larissa Riquleme
Paraguay’s super-fan Larissa Riquelme became a World Cup sensation for…a variety of reasons. Amongst them was her promise to run naked through the streets should Paraguay win the World Cup. Paraguay did not win the World Cup, but Larissa is going to run anyways. Bless her.
4. Spain
It wasn’t always pretty, and the final was a fairly torrid affair all round – but one of the best ways to judge whether or not you had a good World Cup is by determining whether or not you came home with the trophy. By that reckoning, Spain had a great World Cup.
5. Ambition’s World Cup tipping winners!
1st Place: riteshpattni, Congratulations, You have won the Ambition World Cup Trophy, a Football Jersey of your choice, and a Case of South African Wine.
2nd Place: shergar,
3rd Place: scottyparker4england
Congratulations to all our winners. The team will be in touch shortly to arrange your prizes.
That’s it from us ladies and gentlemen. We hope you had as much fun tipping as we did running the competition. Congratulations again to all our prize winners – and for those of you
