PostHeaderIcon Paul Predicts Spain Will Be The World Cup 2010 Champion!

Octopus Paul has made his prediction for the World Cup 2010 finals and he is going to make lots of enemies in Netherlands with his latest prediction. Paul has predicted that Spain will be the FIFA World Cup champions while Germany will beat Uruguay to bag the third place.

The octopus, who has now attained almost celebrity status worldwide, chose the winners of World Cup’s two remaining games at an event held in Germany. He was first asked to predict the outcome of tomorrow’s Germany-Uruguay clash.

Two boxes, one with Germany’s flag and the other Uruguay’s, were lowered into Paul’s water tank. Paul took his sweet time to make his prediction, keeping fans and the media in anticipation as he fiddled with the two boxes for a while. Initially it looked as if Paul was going to choose Uruguay but he finally opened the lid of the box containing the German flag and ate the food inside – his standard way of signalling the winner.

Then Paul did what the whole world has been waiting for: his prediction for the Spain-Netherlands final. Paul feasted from the plastic box containing the Spanish flag. Octopus Paul has made his choice.

Spain will be the World Cup 2010 champion!

(lifeisreallybeautiful.com)

World Cup 2010: Uruguay 'to fight' Germany for third

Uruguay boss Tabarez and German team manager Bierhoff will go head-to-head

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has warned Germany that his side will "fight to the death" in Saturday's World Cup third-place play-off in Port Elizabeth.

After missing out on a place in the final, the clash of the losing World Cup semi-finalists is often seen as little more than a glorified friendly.

But Tabarez said: "Yes, fourth position is not the same as others.

"But we will go in with the same commitment and enthusiasm as always. We will prepare to fight to the death."

Uruguay missed out on a place in Sunday's showpiece final in Johannesburg after their 3-2 defeat by Netherlands, while Germany crashed out at the penultimate hurdle 1-0 to Spain.

But both camps are insistent that they will resist the temptation to take their foot off the pedal at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

"For us, this World Cup is anything but over," said Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff. "We will be 100 percent focused and dedicated (on Saturday).

Highlights - Germany 0-1 Spain

"We want to play with the same fresh, free-flowing football we have shown so far here."

Tabarez added: "At the moment, Germany and Uruguay have both secured fourth place by reaching the semi-final.

"But the challenge for Uruguay is to finish third in the World Cup. I know Germany and they will make it very difficult for us, so we must fight hard to win."

La Celeste have already surpassed expectations by reaching the last four, despite winning the tournament twice before (in 1934 and 1950) largely thanks to the inspired form of frontman Diego Forlan.

The 31-year-old has scored four goals in the tournament so far - but his hopes of winning this year's Golden Boot may well be scuppered by a thigh injury that affected his performance in the semi-final defeat by the Netherlands.

Highlights - Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands

He hopes to be fit, but should he miss out on selection Uruguay can at least recall a natural successor in Luis Suarez - the Ajax forward available again after being suspended for the semi-final thanks to his controversial last-minute handball in the quarters against Ghana.

Germany may also have selection issues up front, with another Golden Boot contender - Miroslav Klose - struggling with a bad back.

Lukas Podolski and Philipp Lahm are also battling to shake off flu, but Thomas Mueller looks certain to be recalled after he too was suspended for the semi-final.

Either way, it is likely that Germany will give an opportunity to some of those players yet to make their mark in the tournament.

"Last night, some flu virus hit us hard, maybe to do with the flights, air conditioning and maybe the disappointment (of losing to Spain)," said Bierhoff, who revealed manager Joachim Loew was one of those suffering with the virus.

"Loew has a serious case of flu, but we are trying to get him fit and on the bench for Saturday.

"It remains to be seen if Klose will play, likewise we don't want Lahm to get injured and then carry that into the new Bundesliga season.

606: DEBATE Who will come out on top?

"Sometimes it is good to field unspoiled players for this sort of match."

Uruguay may consider themselves fresher given the advantage of having had an extra day off with their semi-final having been played on Tuesday.

And Tabarez, in his second spell in charge having guided Uruguay to the last 16 in 1990, said: "To use a term that is common in the team - we have to bury this match and get over our sorrow.

"We must give a good image like the one we delivered against the Netherlands on the pitch to show people in football that Uruguay wants to play at an equal level with others.

"We want to show that this is a team with pride, despite our limitations, and this third-place play-off match is important for this reason."

(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

No pain for Spain

Highlights - Germany 0-1 Spain

By Gary Lineker Former England captain and BBC Match of the Day presenter

I'm glad Spain have reached the World Cup final because they are the team that plays the most attacking, adventurous and stylish football. I love to watch them.

I always thought the reigning European champions would get this far in the tournament, even after they opened their campaign with a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Switzerland.

I'm not surprised the Netherlands have reached Sunday's final at Johannesburg's Soccer City either, especially after their win over Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk has got his tactics spot on and has made his side difficult to beat. He has found a good system that suits his players and is reaping the rewards.

I can see Van Persie and the rest of the Dutch forwards causing Del Bosque's men some problems because I do not think the Spanish defence is as strong as it was

They were excellent during the second half of their win over Brazil, when they fought back from 1-0 down to win 2-1, and have been very good in spells in their other games, too.

The Dutch are a classic example of how a team does not have to play brilliant football to reach a World Cup final.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think they possess the players to be an outstanding side.

Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie are world-class performers, no doubt about that, while Mark van Bommel is a very effective holding midfielder, but their defenders and goalkeeper are certainly not in that bracket.

Nevertheless, their success shows that the right tactics and team spirit can pay off in a big way.

The Dutch might be happier to be facing Spain in the final rather than losing semi-finalists Germany, with whom they share an interesting footballing history, but I am not sure how effective their approach will be against the side coached by Vicente del Bosque.

Germany and the Netherlands adopt very similar tactics - and the Spanish proved very effective in nullifying Miroslav Klose and co in the semi-finals.

Both the Germans and the Dutch employ the same 4-2-3-1 formation, using their players in an almost identical way.

Just like Germany with Mesut Ozil, the Netherlands leave Sneijder to roam where he likes without any defensive responsibilities.

The Dutch also play one up front in Van Persie, with two men on either side who drop back to help out. For Thomas Mueller and Lukas Podolski, read Robben on the right and Dirk Kuyt on the left, although the Dutch do swap their wide men round a lot more than Germany.

I can see Van Persie and the rest of the Dutch forwards causing Del Bosque's men some problems because I do not think the Spanish defence is as strong as it was when the team won Euro 2008.

CHRIS BEVAN'S BLOG the Netherlands will be worthy winners if they do overcome European champions Spain at Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium on Sunday but there have been more roundly-talented Dutch teams that have left tournaments empty-handed

At 32, Carles Puyol is two years older, while Gerard Pique, though terrific on the ball, is liable to make the occasional mistake and do the odd stupid thing, as we saw in the quarter-final against Paraguay when he gave away a penalty for holding on to an opponent at a corner.

That said, Spain do not have too much else to fear from the Dutch.

Del Bosque's side are pretty unique for an international team when it comes to keeping hold of the ball. They do it so brilliantly, such are the skills of Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

For me, the only thing that stops them being overriding favourites to win is the form and fitness of Fernando Torres, the Liverpool striker.

Torres has been struggling since the start of the tournament after having knee surgery in April and I think Del Bosque will probably leave him out again, just as he did against Germany in the semi-final, and play Pedro or even Cesc Fabregas in his place.

It is a real shame for Torres, who is a sensational player when at his best, but the simple fact is that six weeks out of action can take a lot of getting over. Sometimes it can take a while for a player to recover his sharpness, which is crucial for a forward.

The Reds forward could still face the Netherlands but it is unlikely he will suddenly rediscover his best form now, especially with all the pressure that comes with playing in a final.

It might actually help Spain if Torres does begin the game on the bench. That way, David Villa might play in a more central role.

Del Bosque badly needs someone in that central area when his side attack. At times, there has been a gap because Villa has been too far left and Torres too far right. Iniesta and Xavi are not the sort of players to burst into the box between them.

The Spanish definitely need to address that issue but I still feel they will come out on top.

I have tipped Spain to triumph all along, just as I did two years ago. I am definitely going to stick with them now.

Gary Lineker was talking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan

Highlights - Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands

(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

Gunman Raoul Moat kills himself

Fugitive gunman Raoul Moat has killed himself after a six-hour stand-off with armed officers, police have confirmed.

A spokesman said 37-year-old Moat shot himself in a field at Rothbury in Northumberland. He was pronounced dead in hospital at 0220 BST on Saturday.

Earlier, police confirmed that "no shots were fired by police officers" and no officers were hurt.

Police had been negotiating with Moat, who was cornered close to a river in Rothbury after a week-long manhunt.

Eyewitness Peter Abiston, whose house overlooks the scene of the incident, told the BBC: "There's been a shooting. Paramedics have gone into him.

"From what I can see he shot himself. He lay down and shot himself.

Moat was earlier seen pointing a gun at his own neck

"I think there was two, but there was certainly one shot."

Other local people overheard some of the negotiations that took place between Moat and the police before he apparently turned his gun on himself.

A guest-house owner, who did not want to be named, told the BBC: "He actually said, the one thing that sticks in my mind, 'I haven't got a dad'... and he also said that, 'nobody cares about me.'"

Police said Moat, a former nightclub bouncer and father-of-three, shot himself at about 0115 BST.

A single gunshot was heard, followed by shouts from officers close to him. One was heard to yell several times, "Put that gun down".

Paramedics were quickly on the scene and Moat was taken by ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital - accompanied by two police cars - but died shortly after arriving.

Police grudge

Officers discovered an armed man on the riverbank at about 1900 BST on Friday.

Expert negotiators were brought in to speak to him, and unconfirmed reports suggested a friend of Moat was also brought inside the police cordon to try to persuade him to surrender.

Moat was taken to hospital in Newcastle but died shortly after arriving

Moat had been on the run for a week after allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and killing her new partner, Chris Brown.

The attacks took place in the Scafell area of Birtley, near Gateshead, on Saturday 3 July.

In the early hours of Sunday 4 July, Moat is alleged to have shot Pc David Rathband as he sat in his patrol car in East Denton, near Newcastle.

Moat was released from prison on Thursday 1 July.

Northumbria Police said he appeared to have a grudge against the force and in a letter purportedly written by him, he threatened to keep shooting officers until he was dead.

The focus of the manhunt moved to Rothbury when a black Lexus car, which Moat was thought to have been using, was discovered in the town on Tuesday.

Police imposed a 10-mile (16km) exclusion zone around the town and armed officers from forces across the country were brought in to assist in the search.

Do you live in Rothbury? Were you affected by the search for Raoul Moat? Send us your comments using the form below.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk)