2010 FIFA World Cup Group A
Introduction Group A of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 11 June and ended on 22 June 2010.The group consisted of host nation South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay and the runners-up from 2006, France.France and South Africa previously met at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, when then-hosts France beat South Africa 3–0.They also previously met with Uruguay at the 2002 FIFA World Cup; the match ended in a 0–0 draw. France and Mexico were in the same group at the first ever World Cup in 1930; the two nations played the first-ever World Cup match and France won 4–1.France and Mexico had also met in 1954 but neither team qualified for the next round. This is also the second time that France, Mexico and Uruguay have been drawn in the same group with the host nation. They were grouped with England in 1966, when England and Uruguay advanced to the next round.South Africa became the first World Cup host team to fail to advance past the group stage after finishing behind Mexico on goal difference. France, despite having made the final at the previous edition of the World Cup, were also eliminated after drawing one and losing two matches, including one against South Africa.
Standings *Uruguay advanced to play South Korea (runners-up of Group B) in the round of 16. *Mexico advanced to play Argentina (winners of Group B) in the round of 16.
Matches ''All times local (UTC+2)''===South Africa vs Mexico===South Africa vs Mexico was the opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010.It was described as an "enthralling" and "pulsating" match. Mexico put the ball in the net first, but it was offside. South Africa opened the scoring in the 55th minute after Siphiwe Tshabalala scored off a pass through Mexico's defence by Kagiso Dikgacoi. Mexico's captain Rafael Márquez equalised following a corner kick in the 79th minute. In the final minutes of the match, Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post.Tshabalala was named as the man of the match. South Africa's coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira called the result "fair", while Mexico's coach Javier Aguirre stated "we could have won, we could have lost". GK '''16'''Itumeleng KhuneRB '''2''' Siboniso GaxaCB '''4''' Aaron Mokoena (c)CB '''20'''Bongani KhumaloLB '''15'''Lucas Thwala   RM '''8''' Siphiwe TshabalalaCM '''13'''Kagisho Dikgacoi  CM '''12'''Reneilwe LetsholonyaneLM '''11'''Teko ModiseSS '''10'''Steven Pienaar   CF '''9''' Katlego Mphela'''Substitutions:'''DF '''3''' Tsepo Masilela    FW '''17'''Bernard Parker   '''Manager:''' Carlos Alberto Parreira300px GK '''1''' Óscar PérezRB '''12'''Paul Aguilar   CB '''5''' Ricardo OsorioCB '''2''' Francisco Javier RodríguezLB '''3''' Carlos SalcidoDM '''4''' Rafael MárquezCM '''16'''Efraín Juárez  CM '''6''' Gerardo Torrado (c)  RW '''17'''Giovani dos SantosLW '''11'''Carlos Vela   CF '''9''' Guillermo Franco   '''Substitutions:'''MF '''18'''Andrés Guardado   FW '''10'''Cuauhtémoc Blanco   FW '''14'''Javier Hernández   '''Manager:'''Javier AguirreSouth Africa vs Mexico'''Man of the Match:'''Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa)'''Assistant referees:'''Rafael Ilyasov (Uzbekistan)Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)'''Fourth official:'''Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia)'''Fifth official:'''Mu Yuxin (China)===Uruguay vs France===The Uruguayan and French teams warming upFrance and Uruguay faced each other on 11 June 2010 at the Cape Town Stadium. Despite a red card being given to Uruguay substitute Nicolás Lodeiro in the second half, Uruguay were able to hold a "lacklustre" France to a 0–0 draw. After the match, former World Cup-winning French player Zinedine Zidane criticised the French team and particularly coach Raymond Domenech for a lack of teamwork. Domenech claimed after the match to be "happy with the overall performance". GK '''1''' Fernando MusleraRB '''6''' Mauricio Victorino  CB '''2''' Diego Lugano (c)  CB '''3''' Diego GodínLB '''11'''Álvaro PereiraRM '''16'''Maxi PereiraCM '''15'''Diego Pérez   CM '''17'''Egidio ArévaloLM '''18'''Ignacio González   CF '''10'''Diego ForlánCF '''9''' Luis Suárez   '''Substitutions:'''MF '''14'''Nicolás Lodeiro    FW '''13'''Sebastián Abreu   MF '''8''' Sebastián Eguren   '''Manager:'''Óscar Tabárez300px GK '''1''' Hugo LlorisRB '''2''' Bacary SagnaCB '''5''' William GallasCB '''3''' Eric AbidalLB '''13'''Patrice Evra (c)  DM '''14'''Jérémy Toulalan  CM '''8''' Yoann Gourcuff   CM '''19'''Abou DiabyRW '''10'''Sidney Govou   LW '''7''' Franck Ribéry  CF '''21'''Nicolas Anelka   '''Substitutions:'''FW '''12'''Thierry Henry   MF '''15'''Florent Malouda   FW '''11'''André-Pierre Gignac   '''Manager:'''Raymond Domenech'''Man of the Match:'''Diego Forlán (Uruguay)'''Assistant referees:'''Toru Sagara (Japan)Jeong Hae-sang (South Korea)'''Fourth official:'''Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)'''Fifth official:'''William Torres (El Salvador)===South Africa vs Uruguay===Uruguay took the lead in the 24th minute, when Diego Forlán launched a shot from 30 yards out that beat goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who did not attempt to save the shot. In the second half, Luis Suárez was left through on goal, but he was brought down by Khune. Referee Massimo Busacca awarded a penalty and showed Khune a red card. Deep into injury time, Uruguay scored their third goal when Álvaro Pereira tapped in a Suárez cross. GK '''16'''Itumeleng Khune  RB '''2''' Siboniso GaxaCB '''4''' Aaron Mokoena (c)CB '''20'''Bongani KhumaloLB '''3''' Tsepo MasilelaRM '''8''' Siphiwe TshabalalaCM '''13'''Kagisho Dikgacoi  CM '''12'''Reneilwe Letsholonyane   LM '''11'''Teko ModiseSS '''10'''Steven Pienaar    CF '''9''' Katlego Mphela'''Substitutions:'''MF '''19'''Surprise Moriri   GK '''1''' Moeneeb Josephs   '''Manager:''' Carlos Alberto Parreira300px GK '''1''' Fernando MusleraRB '''16'''Maxi PereiraCB '''2''' Diego Lugano (c)CB '''3''' Diego GodínLB '''4''' Jorge Fucile  DM '''15'''Diego Pérez   RM '''17'''Egidio ArévaloLM '''11'''Álvaro PereiraAM '''10'''Diego ForlánCF '''9''' Luis SuárezCF '''7''' Edinson Cavani   '''Substitutions:'''MF '''20'''Álvaro Fernández   FW '''21'''Sebastián Fernández   MF '''5''' Walter Gargano   '''Manager:'''Óscar Tabárez'''Man of the Match:'''Diego Forlán (Uruguay)'''Assistant referees:'''Matthias Arnet (Switzerland)Francesco Buragina (Switzerland)'''Fourth official:'''Wolfgang Stark (Germany)'''Fifth official:'''Jan-Hendrik Salver (Germany)===France vs Mexico===Mexico's 2–0 victory over France in Polokwane was overshadowed by French striker Nicolas Anelka launching a tirade of abuse towards coach Raymond Domenech during the half-time interval. Anelka was subsequently dismissed from the squad, which resulted in many squad members, including captain Patrice Evra, boycotting training in the lead-up to the final group stage match against South Africa. GK '''1''' Hugo LlorisRB '''2''' Bacary SagnaCB '''5''' William GallasCB '''3''' Eric Abidal  LB '''13'''Patrice Evra (c)CM '''14'''Jérémy Toulalan  CM '''19'''Abou DiabyRW '''10'''Sidney Govou   AM '''7''' Franck RibéryLW '''15'''Florent MaloudaCF '''21'''Nicolas Anelka   '''Substitutions:'''FW '''11'''André-Pierre Gignac   MF '''20'''Mathieu Valbuena   '''Manager:'''Raymond Domenech300px GK '''1''' Óscar PérezRB '''5''' Ricardo OsorioCB '''15'''Héctor Moreno  CB '''2''' Francisco Javier Rodríguez  LB '''3''' Carlos SalcidoDM '''4''' Rafael Márquez (c)CM '''16'''Efraín Juárez    CM '''6''' Gerardo TorradoRW '''17'''Giovani dos SantosLW '''11'''Carlos Vela   CF '''9''' Guillermo Franco    '''Substitutions:'''MF '''7''' Pablo Barrera   FW '''14'''Javier Hernández   FW '''10'''Cuauhtémoc Blanco   '''Manager:'''Javier Aguirre'''Man of the Match:'''Javier Hernández (Mexico)'''Assistant referees:'''Hassan Kamranifar (Iran)Saleh Al Marzouqi (United Arab Emirates)'''Fourth official:'''Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)'''Fifth official:'''Matthew Taro (Solomon Islands)===Mexico vs Uruguay=== GK '''1''' Óscar PérezRB '''5''' Ricardo OsorioCB '''2''' Francisco Javier RodríguezCB '''15'''Héctor Moreno   LB '''3''' Carlos SalcidoRM '''6''' Gerardo TorradoCM '''4''' Rafael MárquezLM '''18'''Andrés Guardado  AM '''17'''Giovani dos SantosAM '''10'''Cuauhtémoc Blanco (c)   CF '''9''' Guillermo Franco'''Substitutions:'''MF '''7''' Pablo Barrera   MF '''8''' Israel Castro    FW '''14'''Javier Hernández    '''Manager:'''Javier Aguirre300px GK '''1''' Fernando MusleraRB '''16'''Maxi PereiraCB '''2''' Diego Lugano (c)CB '''6''' Mauricio VictorinoLB '''4''' Jorge Fucile DM '''15'''Diego PérezRM '''17'''Egidio ArévaloLM '''11'''Álvaro Pereira   AM '''10'''Diego ForlánCF '''9''' Luis Suárez   CF '''7''' Edinson Cavani'''Substitutions:'''DF '''19'''Andrés Scotti   MF '''20'''Álvaro Fernández   '''Manager:'''Óscar Tabárez'''Man of the Match:'''Luis Suárez (Uruguay)'''Assistant referees:'''Gábor Erős (Hungary)Tibor Vámos (Hungary)'''Fourth official:'''Martin Hansson (Sweden)'''Fifth official:'''Stefan Wittberg (Sweden)===France vs South Africa=== GK '''1''' Hugo LlorisRB '''2''' Bacary SagnaCB '''5''' William GallasCB '''17'''Sébastien SquillaciLB '''22'''Gaël ClichyCM '''18'''Alou Diarra (c)   CM '''19'''Abou Diaby  RW '''11'''André-Pierre Gignac   AM '''8''' Yoann Gourcuff  LW '''7''' Franck RibéryCF '''9''' Djibril Cissé   '''Substitutions:'''MF '''15'''Florent Malouda   FW '''12'''Thierry Henry   FW '''10'''Sidney Govou   '''Manager:'''Raymond Domenech300px GK '''1''' Moeneeb JosephsRB '''5''' Anele Ngcongca   CB '''4''' Aaron Mokoena (c)CB '''20'''Bongani KhumaloLB '''3''' Tsepo MasilelaCM '''6''' MacBeth SibayaCM '''23'''Thanduyise Khuboni   RW '''10'''Steven PienaarLW '''8''' Siphiwe TshabalalaCF '''9''' Katlego MphelaCF '''17'''Bernard Parker   '''Substitutions:'''DF '''2''' Siboniso Gaxa   FW '''18'''Siyabonga Nomvethe   MF '''11'''Teko Modise   '''Manager:''' Carlos Alberto Parreira'''Man of the Match:'''Katlego Mphela (South Africa)'''Assistant referees:'''Abraham González (Colombia)Humberto Clavijo (Colombia)'''Fourth official:'''Héctor Baldassi (Argentina)'''Fifth official:'''Ricardo Casas (Argentina)
See also *France at the FIFA World Cup*Mexico at the FIFA World Cup*South Africa at the FIFA World Cup*Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup
References