The Brazil national football team is one of the biggest forces in world football. Brazil have won the World Cup 5 times and still hold the record for the most World Cup winning team. Brazil has also contributed many players who are always adored and loved by world football fans. But football history has also seen Brazil arrive at some World Cups with high hopes and come away with nothing.
One of them is the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. Brazil, champions of the 2002 World Cup, were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup. Therefore, Brazil’s national football team arrived in South Africa with a strong sense of having to perform well in the 2010 World Cup at any cost. Many people highlighted the star-rich Brazil team as the World Cup favorites at that time. The Brazil team, coached by Dunga at that time, arrived in South Africa with a group of young and experienced players.
Big names like Kaká, Robinho, Luis Fabiano, Dani Alves, Julio Cesar, Thiago Silva and Elano tied the boots for the Brazil team that day. After defeating North Korea and Ivory Coast in the group stage, Brazil entered the Round of 16 as Group G leaders despite a draw with Portugal. In the Round of 16, Brazil reached the quarter-finals by defeating their own continent, Chile, 3-0. Brazil’s opponents in the quarter-finals were the Netherlands.
Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt and others were also strong in the Netherlands team. That quarter-final match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was one of the most closely contested matches of the 2010 World Cup. Robinho’s goal gave Brazil the lead in the 10th minute of the match, but Wesley Sneijder scored in the 53rd and 68th minutes of the second half to send the Netherlands into the semi-finals. Brazil lost in the quarter-finals and had to return from South Africa.