Rayment Reins Supremo in South Africa

Casillas, the captain, lifts the greatest prize in sport. 

Only four are remaining when Spanish substitute Cesc Fabregas feeds Iniesta in the box. The 26-year-old waits for the ball to drop and then drives a half-volley at goal ...

Congratulations Rayment, our new 2010 Football4Mates Supremo, a five pointer, to firstly draw him level with Yoni in the Semi Final then to hold his nerve and chose Spain for the Final when he needed outright victory. Rayment’s victory also ends the 20 year Mediterranean siege that has dominated the competition though the boys from Israel and Cyprus claimed second and third respectively.

Excellent work Yoni, our Runner-up, who could have gone for a Spanish win to hold his lead but, sticking to his principals, went with the Dutch. George K secured his position as the mythological figure of this competition by claiming third (and third consecutive top 3 finishes); eight points clear of Harry Potter. The new column, KO, represents points accumulated by players beyond the Group Stage. This would have been a case of “if only” for former Supremo, Stylianos, who finished second with 26 points. At the Butt End, Jonovsky, our resident cellar dweller for this World Cup, took out Bottom while Duncan picked up a handy five points to lift him clear from the drop zone.

From the Incentive Prizes front, Jeremy collects the Obama “Yes We Can” Prize for predicting Uruguay (4th) while the Red mist Award is split with Nestor and Blair predicting Australia and Jonovsky (Uruguay). Spicy Duels, and the Australia boys are facing fines as the European Eight lead from the opening match (624-573), Ireland 78 - France 62 (sweet revenge), NZ 79 - Australia 72, England 69 - Argentina 62.

It was a real battle for me to watch the final. Managed to see the first half, missed the entire second plus first period of extra time and finally found ONE television in Sydney Airport that had the match, to see the final eight minutes, or should I say The Most Important Final Eight Minutes in Spanish Football history.

To all our new Mates, we hope that Football4Mates lived up to some of the hype and to our regular Mates, we wish that the competition went beyond the heights of our last competition in 2006. Where to from here? Well one never knows where they’ll be in four years time, but we will aim to bring something to you before we meet on the shores of Rio. I will be incontact with the winners when return. Adios for now.


Semi Table

We've Got Two Clear Predictions

Game Breakers for the 2010 World Cup Final?
Arjen ROBBEN, Andres INIESTA, Robin VAN PERSIE, XAVI

Mates, I know you are eagerly awaiting the final predictions of our two leaders, non more so thanYoni and Rayment. We could not have planned for a better finale. Yoni has predicted the Dutch (1-0) while Rayment has gone for Spain (2-1). Fantastic!! Good luck to both players. A tad of an anti-climax for 3rd with both George K and Harry Potter going for a Spanish victory, which means George K will finish 3rd irrespective of how the Final pans out. Surprising, Mates are split on who will take it out tomorrow morning - that is the World Cup. Down the bottom, Duncan has gone Spain while Jonovsky has predicted the Netherlands.

I'll do my best to get in front of a computer after the final but I cannot promise when that will be as I'll be in an airport with the aim of getting in front of the TV for the end of the second half- let's hope it goes into extra time - but NOT penalties. To our Dutch Mate, Haakie, alias Bear, all the best, while for the rest of us lets hope it's an exciting spectacle. As Joe S stated today, this is perhaps the most highly anticipated final in a very long time.

Come July 12 we'll have a New World Champion and Supremo

The Cave Man, Carlos Puyol sends a thumping header into the top corner giving Neuer no chance. You won't see a firmer header than that. He almost burst the ball! Photograph: Rogan Ward, Reuters

One goal is enough to send Spain to a historic World Cup Final with the Netherlands.

62 matches played, one match remaining and while the world awaits the crowning of a new World Champion – Spain or Netherlands - for the first time Football4Mates will also come down to this Final to hail a new Supremo. From three players that were in for a shot pre-dawn today, we are left with two. One can only guess the level of nerves this morning englfing Yoni, Rayment and George, who tipped Germany, Spain and Draw respectively.

Strangely only four players (Slavco, Nestor, Stylianos and Rayment) tipped a Spanish victory. Two (Stylianos and Rayment) predicting the 1-0 score-line. That dramatic prediction propels Rayment to equal first with Yoni, but the Israeli has the edge with a superior Game prediction total. Remember, if players are tied at the conclusion of the tournament, we take the Total Games Points to determine the winner. In the battle for third, George K needs two points to secure a top three finish for the third consecutive tournament while Harry Potter requires five points and hope. It's going to be more than just tipping this final game, Mates also have to think which way their rival is likley to sway.

Down the bottom we have two of our pre-tournament favourites (Jonovsky and Duncan) desperately fighting (1pt separating both players) to avoid the Butt End Award. From the Spicy Duels front, we go into the Final with the following scores:

•  Australia 564 World 613
•  Ireland 77 France 62
•  Australia 73 NZ 78
•  Argentina 57 England 68

Scores Table


Games Table


Semi Table

Dutch into the Final

Two games to go and it seems like a two way race between Yoni (103pts) and Rayment (98 pts), two Mates who have both maintained a consistent duel between themselves for some time now. With all the tips provided (no changes can be made) we are going to add some extra zing to both these players hopes as the second Semi Final looms. We can declare that Yoni has gone for a German victory (2-1) while Rayment has placed his prediction in favour of the Spanish (1-0). Supremo George K (94 pts), who still has outside forces hot on his tail, foresees an exciting 1-1 result. Therefore, if the Germans fall in either regulation or extra time, we will be going to the Final to determine the Supremo. Good luck.

Eighteen minutes in and Holland's captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst opens the scoring with one of the goals of the tournament. Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach, Reuters

...Uruguay's goalkeeper Fernando Muslera dives and just gets the faintest of fingertip touches to the ball but not enough to stop it as the ball flies into the top corner. Photo: Laurence Griffiths, Getty Images

Another stupendous effort by Diego Forlan to level the scores. Photo: Lars Baron, Getty Images

Arjen Robben puts a powerful header back across the goal giving Fernando Muslera no chance. Final Score: Netherlands 3 - Uruguay 2. Photo: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Now for the Semi Finals

Just four teams left for the 2010 World Cup: Netherlands v Uruguay, Germany v Spain

Three minutes into the match against Argentina and the Germans strike...Thomas Mueller

With the writing on the Germany go three up thanks to the aid of Bastian Schweinsteiger magical run. Germany 4 - Argentina 0

With seven minutes remaining on the clock and the deadlock is finally broken by Spain, and luck plays rather a large part in it. Iniesta bursts through the middle and like wasps attracted to some jam, the Paraguay defenders are drawn to him. This leaves Pedro unmarked on the edge of the box who is found by the diminutive midfielder, he fires a shot goalwards but hits the post. The ball runs to David Villa who controls the ball before firing it back towards the goal, his shot also hits the post and then rolls across the face of the goal before hitting the other post and rolling into the net. Spain 1 - Paraguay 0 guardian.co.uk, Sunday 4 July

Quarter Final

Oranje Men march over Samba Boys

Brazilians swamped in a sea of Oranje

Biggest upset in the 2010 World Cup? That's a little disrespectful to the Oranje Men is it not? The Dutch today stepped up to take a Semi Final spot as the “Golden Boys” of football (Brazil) capitulated under their own egos and “divine” World Cup expectations. And how about the Uruguay Ghana match? Got to feel some sympathy for Ghanaian striker Asamoah Ayan, who had already converted two spot kicks earlier in this tournament, miss a penalty in the last seconds of extra time. It would have to rate as perhaps one of, if not the most highly pressured World Cup penalty kick of all time. This lad did not only hold the expectations of his country, but that of the entire African continent in his hands…and he missed!! Not one for his scrapbook.

Three players picked the score for the Netherland Brazil match - Stylianos and NicO, while Mr Lenny Man grabbed the day's top score (7pts) by nabbing the 1-1 in today's second match (Uruguay v Ghana). Who was the third player that tipped the Dutch? Well that would be Yoni, who also retook the lead as both Rayment and George K bombed out (0pts).

Maarten Stekelenburg in the Netherlands goal leaps high to claw away a cheeky clipped shot from Kaka

Goal ... Wesley Sneijder heads in the winner 2-1 Netherlands

  

Felipe Melo (Brazil) scores an own goal for the Netherlands 1-1

One of the players of the tournament? Another goal for Uruguay's Diego Forlan as he gets past Ghana's Sulley Muntari

  

Something to read as we gear up for Argentina v Germany...
In 2004 Diego Armando Maradona was lying among the patients in a psychiatric ward while his family argued about further treatment. "They were all crazy in there," he later recalled. "One guy said he was Napoleon and they didn't believe him. I said I was Maradona and they didn't believe me, either." Six years later, against all the odds and expectations, he is once again dominating the World Cup. Richard Williams guardian.co.uk, Friday 2 July 2010

PLAYER TOTAL

1. Yoni 97
2. Rayment 94
3. George K 87
4. Harry Potter 84
5. Mr Lenny Man 83
6. Luke 82
7. Turczynski 80
8. Haakie 76
9. Stylianos 75
10. Do Chi 75
11. NicO 73
12. Joe S 73
13. Benny G 73
14. Mihail 73
15. Blairos 71
16. Gav 67
17. Tony 66
18. Beelitz 64
19. Nestor 61
20. Andy 58
21. Motto 56
22. Duncan 55
23. Jeremy 55
24. Jonovsky 54
25. Slavco 52
26. Javier 51