1. Giovanni van Bronckhorst – Uruguay 2 Holland 3 f ever there was a goal to spark a drab semi-final into life, then this was it. As with every good Dutch move, the strike itself was preceded by a slick exchange of passes, before van Bronckhorst let fly from 40 yards with a strike so pure not even Luis Suarez could have kept it out. 2. Fabio Quagliarella – Slovakia 3 Italy 2 There was not much for Italy to shout about in South Africa, as the reigning champions made an ignominious exit in the group stages. And unfortunately Fabio Quagliarella's exquisite chip from outside the penalty area proved to be nothing more than a late consolation, not only in their 3-2 defeat to Slovakia, but the tournament as a whole. 3. David Villa – Spain 2 Honduras 0 After a shock opening-game defeat to Switzerland, when Spain's profligacy contributed as much to their downfall as their shambolic defending, Vicente del Bosque's side were looking to get back on track against Honduras. And it took just 17 minutes for David Villa to calm fraying nerves when he picked up the ball on the left flank, wove inside two bemused defenders before jinking past another, Osman Chávez, and firing high into the corner. 4. Carlos Tévez – Argentina 3 Mexico 1 Carlos Tévez has not struggled for goals this season, but few will have been as memorable as his strike against Mexico. With Argentina 2-0 ahead and in control, Tévez ended the game as a contest when he unleashed a searing shot past Oscar Perez from 25 yards after his initial through ball rebounded invitingly into his path. 5. Yasuhito Endo – Denmark 1 Japan 3 Despite the kerfuffle surrounding the Jabulani ball before the World Cup, goals direct from free-kicks have been at a premium in South Africa. Yet Japan scored two within the space of 13 minutes during their decisive group game with Denmark. The first, from Keisuke Honda, was good, but Endo's was sublime; curling the ball around the wall and past Thomas Sorensen. 6. Siphiwe Tshabalala – South Africa 1 Mexico 1 For much of the first half in Johannesburg, South Africa could not string two passes together, let alone score. But shortly after half time South Africa broke the shackles with a counter-attacking goal of such searing quality that it will be etched forever in folklore here. Kagisho Dikgacoi was the architect, delivering a defence-splitting diagonal ball which has not be bettered in the entire tournament to set up the devastating left foot strike from Tshabalala. 7. Luis Suarez – Uruguay 2 South Korea 1 Suarez's World Cup is destined to forever be remembered for his infamous handball against Ghana. However, while the Ajax hitman may not have endeared himself to the African continent, his goals may well have engineered himself a move away from the Eredivisie. The best of the lot being his late winner against Japan, when he cut inside Cho Yong Hyung before curling his winner outside Sung-Ryong Jung’s outstretched hand and inside the post. 8. Mesut Ozil – Ghana 0 Germany 1 Another player to have enhanced his reputation no end over the past month is Ozil, whose clever passing and intelligent movement has bewitched defences. The young playmaker masterminded Germany's 4-1 destruction of England, but his side may not have even made the knockout stages were it not Ozil's fabulous winner against Ghana, when he unleashed a stunning left-footed half volley past Richard Kingston. 9. Enrique Vera – Slovakia 0 Paraguay 2 With their strikers firing blanks, Gerardo Martino looked to his midfield for goals against Slovakia, and Vera responded in style – scoring a goal with the classiest of finishes. With Paraguay struggling to break down an obdurate Slovak defence, Lucas Barrios slipped a carefully-weighted through ball to Vera, who then steered the ball beyond Jan Mucha with a delightful outside-of-the-boot flick. 10. Kevin-Prince Boateng – USA 1 Ghana 2 Boateng only became eligible to represent Ghana on May 12 – choosing them over the land of his birth, Germany – but he seemed intent on making up for lost time in South Africa. The midfielder was the instigator of Ghana's best moments and capped off his finals with a fine opening goal against the USA, skipping past Jay DeMerit after robbing Ricardo Clark and firing low past a stranded Tim Howard.

Top 10 goals of the tournament

Forlan, the Atletico Madrid striker, scored five goals, including two outstanding strikes against South Africa and Germany, as Uruguay exceeded expectations to reach the semi-finals and then lose the third-place play-off 3-2 to Germany. Forlan finished in a four-way tie with Thomas Muller, Wesley Sneijder and David Villa for the Golden Boot with five goals - an award Muller took on a tie-break thanks to having more assists.

Tournament's Best Player: Diego Forlan

Andres Iniesta struck a dramatic winner late in extra time to give Spain World Cup glory for the first time but condemned the Netherlands to their third defeat in a final. Iniesta drilled his left-foot strike across goal - but the Dutch were incensed after referee Howard Webb had failed to award their side a corner moments earlier when a free-kick took a sizeable deflection off Cesc Fabregas. However, Euro 2008 champions Spain, who conceded only two goals during the tournament, deserved their victory after gradually taking a grip on a tense and bad-tempered contest that produced 14 yellow cards with Johnny Heitinga sent off on 109 minutes after picking up a second yellow card. The Dutch, who lost in the 1974 and 1978 finals, were bidding to become the first side since Brazil in 1970 to go through World Cup qualifying and the finals unbeaten. They had a glorious chance to take the lead in the second half but Arjen Robben, comfortably his team's most potent attacking weapon, could find no way past Spain captain Iker Casillas, who slumped to the floor and cried tears of joy after the final whistle. Sergio Ramos was equally culpable of a glaring miss for Spain when he headed over and substitute Fabregas, as with Robben before him, also failed to convert a one-on-one chance. But it was from a through ball by the influential Fabregas that midfielder Iniesta struck making Spain the first team to win a World Cup after losing their opening game of the tournament. Spain also become the team to win to World Cup having scored the fewest number of goals - finding the net eight times in their seven matches. The previous mark was held by three teams including England in 1996. The dramatic finale at Soccer City was in stark contrast to a hugely underwhelming opening 45 minutes, which was a brutal disappointment after the spectacular opening ceremony and moving appearance by former president Nelson Mandela that had preceded it. Spain dominated possession in the opening minutes and looked to have the measure of an uncertain Dutch backline. Ramos almost put them ahead after just four minutes but his thunderous header was brilliantly saved by Maarten Stekelenburg. The Netherlands could not get a grip on the game but were helped by a spate of yellow cards from referee Webb that disturbed the rhythm of the match. Webb booked five players in the opening 28 minutes, although several crude challenges left him with little option. Dutch enforcer Mark van Bommel was booked after going through the back of Iniesta, while Nigel de Jong was lucky to escape red after planting his foot in the chest of Xabi Alonso. Robben did force a decent save from Casillas with a low left-foot strike after cutting inside during stoppage time. But the match had degenerated to the extent that Alonso opted to shoot with a free-kick on the wrong side of 40 yards instead of a seeking out a team-mate. Spain defender Joan Capdevila wasted a good chance shortly after the restart, failing to make contact with a Carles Puyol flick-on. The bookings continued after the break and the contest occasionally threatened to boil over as the tension appeared to affect the players. But there were also a few moments of real quality, none more so than a sumptuous through ball from the largely anonymous Wesley Sneijder that played Robben clean through on goal. Robben delayed his shot but, equally, Casillas stood his ground as long as possible and brilliantly saved with his legs. It was a head-in-hands moment for Robben, but one quickly followed for Spain when a completely unmarked Ramos headed a corner over the crossbar. Robben's pace troubled the Spanish defence throughout and another burst from the Bayern Munich man unsettled Puyol, who appeared to impinge his opponent. Robben, just outside the penalty area, chose to stay on his feet and Casillas again denied him. Spain had moved into the ascendancy as the match wore on, with Xavi increasingly influential. Fabregas replaced Alonso in the 87th minute and quickly made an impression by collecting a superb Iniesta pass, but the Arsenal man could find no way beyond Stekelenberg, who saved brilliantly with his legs. The complement was returned shortly afterwards but Iniesta opted not to strike from 18 yards and was eventually dispossessed by the excellent Gregory van der Wiel. Heitinger became the fifth man to be sent off in a World Cup final when he pulled back Iniesta on the edge of the area, giving Webb little choice but to hand him a second caution, and that seemed to spur Spain on for a final effort. Joris Mathijsen headed over for the Netherlands in what was their only good chance of the extra-time period before Iniesta struck his late and decisive blow. Spain: Casillas, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila, Sergio Ramos, Iniesta, Xavi, Alonso (Fabregas, 87), Busquets, Villa (Torres, 105), Pedrito (Jesus Navas, 60) Nederlands: Stekelenburg, Van Der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst (Braafheid, 105), Van Bommel, De Jong (Van der Vaart, 99), Sneijder, Kuyt (Elia, 70), Van Persie, Robben

Spain win World Cup 2010

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque urged his players to go on and win the World Cup final after their 1-0 semi-final victory against Germany. Carles Puyol's second-half header put Spain in the final for the first time and Del Bosque is already focused on beating Netherlands on Sunday. He said: "Our players carried out their job in a magnificent way. "But let's think about the game in front of us. We're in good shape physically - let's try to win." Puyol's 73rd-minute winner, when he powered home an unstoppable header from Xavi's pin-point corner, made the result a repeat of the Euro 2008 final between the two sides. And it means that a new name will adorn the World Cup trophy come Sunday, as the Dutch were beaten finalists in both 1974 and 1978. The victory for Spain, who have never faced the Netherlands in a major tournament, was just reward for arguably their best performance of the tournament so far, one which saw them control possession for large periods and restrict Germany - who had been prolific in attack in the lead up to the last-four clash - to only a handful of half-chances. In the end, Spain had 13 attempts to Germany's five, and Del Bosque said: "From defence through to attack I think we played a great game." Spanish striker David Villa, who is joint top scorer in South Africa with five goals, said the team wanted to make the most of their opportunity in the final, having grabbed their first semi-final appearance with both hands.

Del Bosque eyes World Cup triumph

etherlands coach Bert van Marwijk could barely hide his delight after his side beat Uruguay 3-2 to reach their first World Cup final since 1978. Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben each scored to earn a clash with Spain or Germany. Van Marwijk said: "This is very special. After 32 years we play the final again. Such a small country can be so very proud." The Dutch boss added he does not mind who his side face in Sunday's final. "I think Spain are playing the best football overall but Germany are perhaps the best team at this championship," continued Van Marwijk, who took over as Netherlands coach in 2008 and has now led the side on a 14-match winning streak. "I won't say I prefer to play one team or another but it would be unique to play Germany after 1974 [when Germany beat the Netherlands in the final]. "I don't think in terms of revenge. The Netherlands played a wonderful match against Germany but we lost and we should have won it. It was a unique generation with Johan Cruyff, the best footballer who ever existed. So it is great that we have ended up in the final again...

Van Marwijk so proud of Dutch

Holland have twice in recent times suffered heartbreaking exits at the hands of the five-times winners, going out at the quarter-final stage in 1994 and then in the semis four years later after a penalty shoot-out. But there is a growing confidence in the Dutch camp that they can get past Dunga's men and stake their own claim on a trophy they have never won despite several near misses. The two sides meet at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth in the last eight on Friday, and skipper Van Bronckhorst is confident the tables will be turned. He said: "We want to win the game, that's obvious. Obviously, the games in the past haven't gone our way, but we want to win the World Cup, and that means we have to beat Brazil. "We are confident, but we are playing against a great team. Football is played for 90 minutes or even longer and we will go out tomorrow and do everything we can to win the game. "We are a tight group. This team has been together for four or six years now and we know what the strengths of all the players are. "It's always good to go out on to the pitch with a team you can trust. We go into every game to win it and fight for each other, and everybody has to believe we can win this match. "The game against Brazil is a big game, but we are confident and we will go out on to the pitch tomorrow to win." Holland's progress to the quarter-finals has been little short of serene as they emerged from a group also including Japan, Denmark and Cameroon with a 100 per cent record before beating Slovakia far more comprehensively than the 2-1 scoreline suggests in the last 16. However, there is a feeling there is more to come, and Van Bronckhorst agrees...

Holland's Giovanni van Bronckhorst ready to break Brazil hoodoo

Brazil's Elano has been ruled out of the World Cup quarter-final against Netherlands with an ankle injury and could miss the rest of the tournament. Elano, 29, was hurt during his side's group-stage win over Ivory Coast and limped out of training on Tuesday. Brazil's team doctor Jose Luiz Runco said: "The bone is swollen inside. "He has been undergoing treatment which can take a few days, weeks or a month, there is no timetable. Each day we will make an evaluation." Elano scored in Brazil's opening two World Cup games before being on the receiving end of a crunching tackle from Ivory Coast defender Cheik Tiote in the final group match. The former Manchester City player is angry that Tiote's challenge went unpunished. "I told the referee that he didn't even give a free-kick for a tackle which could have broken my leg," said Elano. "The same player then committed another heavy foul on Robinho for which he should have been sent off. "They have to have another look at this type of violence, because the people who are losing out are the ones who get injured...

Injury sidelines Brazil ace Elano