After the first ever football world cup final tournament in Asia, the event moved to Germany. It was the first time Germany was hosting the World Cup after reunification of East and West Germany. Franz Beckenbauer, who captained the winning 1974 side and coached the winning 1990 side, spearheaded the organizing committee. The matches were held in 12 stadia around the country. Although many thought the home side will have a good chance of winning the cup, they were defeated in the semifinals by Italy and had to contend with the third place. The 2006 final between Italy and France remains one of the most uninspiring finals, which was marred by a rare act of indiscipline by Zinedine Zidane, who head butted Marco Materazzi.
In 2010, the World Cup moved to South Africa for the first time. This tournament also proved to be a disappointment, because of low scoring matches and defensive play. South Africa became the first host country ever to be eliminated in the first round. Meanwhile both the champions and the runners up of the 2006 Football World Cup were also eliminated in the first round. Spain, a country also known for its disappointing performances in World Cup over the years won the world cup after defeating The Netherlands in the final.
1. The 2006 Football World Cup saw Ghana qualifying for its first tournament. Although a traditional African ‘football power’ it was the first world cup final tournament for the Black Stars. They did not disappoint. They came second in the preliminary round and had the misfortune of having to contest the in-form Brazilians in the Round of 16. In the preliminary round, Ghana shocked Czech Republic (which was ranked World No 2) by defeating that team 2-0. Czech Republic, a tournament hopeful, bowed out in the first round. Who was the unfortunate captain of the Czech team?
2. The 2006 tournament saw the Golden Boot being awarded to a player with just 5 goals. This was a record low after 1962. Also, no other player scored more than 3 goals. This player currently holds the record for the highest number of World Cup goals overall. Who is this German striker?
3. Football World cup tournaments are famous for the occasional “battles” where the matches turn out to be simply a fight. There have been the “Battle of Berne” of 1954 between Hungary and Brazil and the “Battle of Santiago” of 1962 between Chile and Italy. In 2006, there was a “Battle of Nuremberg” between two European sides. The Russian referee Valentine Ivanov handed over 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards in this game. Which two countries “fought” this battle?
4. One positive story from the 2010 World Cup was the return of Uruguay as a potential contender for the World Cup after being on the sidelines of the world cup football scene for about four decades. This year, the South American former world champions came fourth of the tournament. One of their strikers, who at the time played for the Spanish club Atletico Madrid, played a crucial role in this success. He is the most capped (played most matches) for Uruguay and was the leading all time goal scorer until Luis Suarez overtook him. Who is this?
5. This final of the 2010 World Cup was between Spain and The Netherlands. It was the first final for Spain but the third for the Dutch. However, Spain won the game 1-0 at extra time. The only goal of the match came in the 116th minute when a Spanish midfielder scored. He has been playing for the Spanish club Barcelona from 2002 and has scored 11 goals for the Spanish national team which he represented from 2006. Who is he?
Answers to Quiz 31: Isabel Peron
1. Evita
2. The Sorcerer (Spanish: El Brujo)
3. Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla
4. Spain
5. Christina Fernandez de Kirchner
In 2010, the World Cup moved to South Africa for the first time. This tournament also proved to be a disappointment, because of low scoring matches and defensive play. South Africa became the first host country ever to be eliminated in the first round. Meanwhile both the champions and the runners up of the 2006 Football World Cup were also eliminated in the first round. Spain, a country also known for its disappointing performances in World Cup over the years won the world cup after defeating The Netherlands in the final.
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| The famous Czech Republic vs Ghana match (Wikimedia Commons) |
1. The 2006 Football World Cup saw Ghana qualifying for its first tournament. Although a traditional African ‘football power’ it was the first world cup final tournament for the Black Stars. They did not disappoint. They came second in the preliminary round and had the misfortune of having to contest the in-form Brazilians in the Round of 16. In the preliminary round, Ghana shocked Czech Republic (which was ranked World No 2) by defeating that team 2-0. Czech Republic, a tournament hopeful, bowed out in the first round. Who was the unfortunate captain of the Czech team?
2. The 2006 tournament saw the Golden Boot being awarded to a player with just 5 goals. This was a record low after 1962. Also, no other player scored more than 3 goals. This player currently holds the record for the highest number of World Cup goals overall. Who is this German striker?
3. Football World cup tournaments are famous for the occasional “battles” where the matches turn out to be simply a fight. There have been the “Battle of Berne” of 1954 between Hungary and Brazil and the “Battle of Santiago” of 1962 between Chile and Italy. In 2006, there was a “Battle of Nuremberg” between two European sides. The Russian referee Valentine Ivanov handed over 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards in this game. Which two countries “fought” this battle?
4. One positive story from the 2010 World Cup was the return of Uruguay as a potential contender for the World Cup after being on the sidelines of the world cup football scene for about four decades. This year, the South American former world champions came fourth of the tournament. One of their strikers, who at the time played for the Spanish club Atletico Madrid, played a crucial role in this success. He is the most capped (played most matches) for Uruguay and was the leading all time goal scorer until Luis Suarez overtook him. Who is this?
5. This final of the 2010 World Cup was between Spain and The Netherlands. It was the first final for Spain but the third for the Dutch. However, Spain won the game 1-0 at extra time. The only goal of the match came in the 116th minute when a Spanish midfielder scored. He has been playing for the Spanish club Barcelona from 2002 and has scored 11 goals for the Spanish national team which he represented from 2006. Who is he?
Answers to Quiz 31: Isabel Peron
1. Evita
2. The Sorcerer (Spanish: El Brujo)
3. Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla
4. Spain
5. Christina Fernandez de Kirchner
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