Uruguay line-up: Muslera, Godin, Gargano, Victorino, Cavani, Forlan (c) (Fernandez, 84'), A.Pereira (Abreu, 78'), Perez, M.Perreira, Arevalo, Caceres
Holland line-up: Stekelenburg, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronkhorst (c), Van Bommel, Kuyt, Van Persie, Sneijder, Robben (Elia, 89'), De Zeeuw (Van Der Vaart, HT)
Holland grab the first spot in the final of South Africa 2010 with a tight win over Uruguay. The score looks tighter than the game was, after Holland scored their second their looked to be only one winner until a mad scramble in injury time. The game started slowly as both teams felt their way into the game, however Holland created a good first chance within the first five minutes; Robben being his menacing self managed to beat the wide man and run down the flank, he laid it off to Sneijder whose curling cross was unconvincingly punched by normally steady keeper Muslera, the ball fell to Kuyt but he volleyed over the crossbar. From there chances were few and far between as the game became slightly pedestrian, that was until Van Bronkhorst fired Holland into the lead via a spectacular strike from thirty yards. It was certainly out of the blue and it was a stroke of genius by the Dutch captain as Muslera could do nothing about it. The game seemed to be crawling towards a 1-0 scoreline at half-time as Uruguay started created a few half-chances but nothing of any danger for Stekelenburg. This coincided with Forlan beginning to drop off from the back four of Holland and come searching for the ball. Four minutes before half-time and it was the turn of the Uruguay captain to score out of the blue; Forlan picked up the ball half-way inside the Dutch and was allowed space to run into, cutting inside onto his weaker left foot he lashed a 25 yard shot which wrong footed Stekelenburg and found the net. Stekelenburg would have been unhappy with himself as he should have saved it but Oscar Tabarez's half-time team talk became slightly easier.
With Uruguay having the momentum, they seemed to start the second half better with Van Bronkhorst and Stekelenburg preventing Uruguay taking the lead. The early didn't seem to startle the Dutch and they gradually grew into the half in search for the second. They should have had it when Van Persie played a lovely ball into the path of half-time substitute Van Der Vaart, his shot could only be parried by Muslera into the path of Arjen Robben who should have scored or at least hit the target, but he blazed it over. Holland were to take the lead just two minutes later via a goal that hinted at offside; Sneijder found the ball on the edge of the box and curled one along the floor, through plenty of bodies and it nestled into the bottom corner. However Van Persie looked to have swung a leg at it and was in an offside position, although he made no contact he was surely active and the goal maybe should not have counted. As for Sneijder that goal put him level with David Villa on five goals for the tournament after Felipe Melo's own goal was awarded to him. From their it seemed there was only going to be one winner and seventeen minutes from time Holland secured a two goal advantage; Dirk Kuyt placed a perfect cross from the corner of the box onto the head of Robben and Muslera was as much of a spectator as were as it floated into the corner. With three minutes of added time and Forlan substituted because of an injury Uruguay looked all at sea, but they managed to find something in the way of salvation; Maxi Pereira benefiting from a short free-kick as his shot, similar to Sneijder's, nestled in the bottom corner. It was to be nothing more than a consolation but it made the final couple of minutes rather edgy for the Orange Army.
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