# 2010 FIFA World Cup Group A

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

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Uruguay | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Mexico | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | South Africa (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 | France | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |
* 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".
| South Africa | Mexico |
| GK | 16 | Itumeleng Khune |
| RB | 2 | Siboniso Gaxa |
| CB | 4 | Aaron Mokoena (c) |
| CB | 20 | Bongani Khumalo |
| LB | 15 | Lucas Thwala | | 46' |
| RM | 8 | Siphiwe Tshabalala |
| CM | 13 | Kagisho Dikgacoi | 27' |
| CM | 12 | Reneilwe Letsholonyane |
| LM | 11 | Teko Modise |
| SS | 10 | Steven Pienaar | | 83' |
| CF | 9 | Katlego Mphela |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 3 | Tsepo Masilela | 70' | 46' |
| FW | 17 | Bernard Parker | | 83' |
| Manager: ||
| Carlos Alberto Parreira ||
| GK | 1 | Óscar Pérez |
| RB | 12 | Paul Aguilar | | 55' |
| CB | 5 | Ricardo Osorio |
| CB | 2 | Francisco Javier Rodríguez |
| LB | 3 | Carlos Salcido |
| DM | 4 | Rafael Márquez |
| CM | 16 | Efraín Juárez | 18' |
| CM | 6 | Gerardo Torrado (c) | 57' |
| RW | 17 | Giovani dos Santos |
| LW | 11 | Carlos Vela | | 69' |
| CF | 9 | Guillermo Franco | | 73' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 18 | Andrés Guardado | | 55' |
| FW | 10 | Cuauhtémoc Blanco | | 69' |
| FW | 14 | Javier Hernández | | 73' |
| Manager: ||
| Javier Aguirre ||
* 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

France 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".
| Uruguay | France |
| GK | 1 | Fernando Muslera |
| RB | 6 | Mauricio Victorino | 59' |
| CB | 2 | Diego Lugano (c) | 90+3' |
| CB | 3 | Diego Godín |
| LB | 11 | Álvaro Pereira |
| RM | 16 | Maxi Pereira |
| CM | 15 | Diego Pérez | | 87' |
| CM | 17 | Egidio Arévalo |
| LM | 18 | Ignacio González | | 63' |
| CF | 10 | Diego Forlán |
| CF | 9 | Luis Suárez | | 74' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 14 | Nicolás Lodeiro | 65' 81' | 63' |
| FW | 13 | Sebastián Abreu | | 74' |
| MF | 8 | Sebastián Eguren | | 87' |
| Manager: ||
| Óscar Tabárez ||
| GK | 1 | Hugo Lloris |
| RB | 2 | Bacary Sagna |
| CB | 5 | William Gallas |
| CB | 3 | Eric Abidal |
| LB | 13 | Patrice Evra (c) | 12' |
| DM | 14 | Jérémy Toulalan | 68' |
| CM | 8 | Yoann Gourcuff | | 75' |
| CM | 19 | Abou Diaby |
| RW | 10 | Sidney Govou | | 85' |
| LW | 7 | Franck Ribéry | 19' |
| CF | 21 | Nicolas Anelka | | 72' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 12 | Thierry Henry | | 72' |
| MF | 15 | Florent Malouda | | 75' |
| FW | 11 | André-Pierre Gignac | | 85' |
| 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.
| South Africa | Uruguay |
| GK | 16 | Itumeleng Khune | 76' |
| RB | 2 | Siboniso Gaxa |
| CB | 4 | Aaron Mokoena (c) |
| CB | 20 | Bongani Khumalo |
| LB | 3 | Tsepo Masilela |
| RM | 8 | Siphiwe Tshabalala |
| CM | 13 | Kagisho Dikgacoi | 42' |
| CM | 12 | Reneilwe Letsholonyane | | 57' |
| LM | 11 | Teko Modise |
| SS | 10 | Steven Pienaar | 6' | 79' |
| CF | 9 | Katlego Mphela |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 19 | Surprise Moriri | | 57' |
| GK | 1 | Moeneeb Josephs | | 79' |
| Manager: ||
| Carlos Alberto Parreira ||
| GK | 1 | Fernando Muslera |
| RB | 16 | Maxi Pereira |
| CB | 2 | Diego Lugano (c) |
| CB | 3 | Diego Godín |
| LB | 4 | Jorge Fucile | 71' |
| DM | 15 | Diego Pérez | 90' |
| RM | 17 | Egidio Arévalo |
| LM | 11 | Álvaro Pereira |
| AM | 10 | Diego Forlán |
| CF | 9 | Luis Suárez |
| CF | 7 | Edinson Cavani | 89' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 20 | Álvaro Fernández | 71' |
| FW | 21 | Sebastián Fernández | 89' |
| MF | 5 | Walter Gargano | 90' |
| 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.
| France | Mexico |
| GK | 1 | Hugo Lloris |
| RB | 2 | Bacary Sagna |
| CB | 5 | William Gallas |
| CB | 3 | Eric Abidal | 78' |
| LB | 13 | Patrice Evra (c) |
| CM | 14 | Jérémy Toulalan | 45+1' |
| CM | 19 | Abou Diaby |
| RW | 10 | Sidney Govou | | 69' |
| AM | 7 | Franck Ribéry |
| LW | 15 | Florent Malouda |
| CF | 21 | Nicolas Anelka | | 46' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 11 | André-Pierre Gignac | | 46' |
| MF | 20 | Mathieu Valbuena | | 69' |
| Manager: ||
| Raymond Domenech ||
| GK | 1 | Óscar Pérez |
| RB | 5 | Ricardo Osorio |
| CB | 15 | Héctor Moreno | 49' |
| CB | 2 | Francisco Javier Rodríguez | 82' |
| LB | 3 | Carlos Salcido |
| DM | 4 | Rafael Márquez (c) |
| CM | 16 | Efraín Juárez | 48' | 55' |
| CM | 6 | Gerardo Torrado |
| RW | 17 | Giovani dos Santos |
| LW | 11 | Carlos Vela | | 31' |
| CF | 9 | Guillermo Franco | 4' | 62' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 7 | Pablo Barrera | | 31' |
| FW | 14 | Javier Hernández | | 55' |
| FW | 10 | Cuauhtémoc Blanco | | 62' |
| 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

| Mexico | Uruguay |
| GK | 1 | Óscar Pérez |
| RB | 5 | Ricardo Osorio |
| CB | 2 | Francisco Javier Rodríguez |
| CB | 15 | Héctor Moreno | | 57' |
| LB | 3 | Carlos Salcido |
| RM | 6 | Gerardo Torrado |
| CM | 4 | Rafael Márquez |
| LM | 18 | Andrés Guardado | | 46' |
| AM | 17 | Giovani dos Santos |
| AM | 10 | Cuauhtémoc Blanco (c) | | 63' |
| CF | 9 | Guillermo Franco |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 7 | Pablo Barrera | | 46' |
| MF | 8 | Israel Castro | 86' | 57' |
| FW | 14 | Javier Hernández | 77' | 63' |
| Manager: ||
| Javier Aguirre ||
| GK | 1 | Fernando Muslera |
| RB | 16 | Maxi Pereira |
| CB | 2 | Diego Lugano (c) |
| CB | 6 | Mauricio Victorino |
| LB | 4 | Jorge Fucile | 68' |
| DM | 15 | Diego Pérez |
| RM | 17 | Egidio Arévalo |
| LM | 11 | Álvaro Pereira | | 77' |
| AM | 10 | Diego Forlán |
| CF | 9 | Luis Suárez | | 85' |
| CF | 7 | Edinson Cavani |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 19 | Andrés Scotti | | 77' |
| MF | 20 | Álvaro Fernández | | 85' |
| 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

| France | South Africa |
| GK | 1 | Hugo Lloris |
| RB | 2 | Bacary Sagna |
| CB | 5 | William Gallas |
| CB | 17 | Sébastien Squillaci |
| LB | 22 | Gaël Clichy |
| CM | 18 | Alou Diarra (c) | | 82' |
| CM | 19 | Abou Diaby | 71' |
| RW | 11 | André-Pierre Gignac | | 46' |
| AM | 8 | Yoann Gourcuff | 25' |
| LW | 7 | Franck Ribéry |
| CF | 9 | Djibril Cissé | | 55' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 15 | Florent Malouda | | 46' |
| FW | 12 | Thierry Henry | | 55' |
| FW | 10 | Sidney Govou | | 82' |
| Manager: ||
| Raymond Domenech ||
| GK | 1 | Moeneeb Josephs |
| RB | 5 | Anele Ngcongca | 55' |
| CB | 4 | Aaron Mokoena (c) |
| CB | 20 | Bongani Khumalo |
| LB | 3 | Tsepo Masilela |
| CM | 6 | MacBeth Sibaya |
| CM | 23 | Thanduyise Khuboni | 78' |
| RW | 10 | Steven Pienaar |
| LW | 8 | Siphiwe Tshabalala |
| CF | 9 | Katlego Mphela |
| CF | 17 | Bernard Parker | 68' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 2 | Siboniso Gaxa | 55' |
| FW | 18 | Siyabonga Nomvethe | 68' |
| MF | 11 | Teko Modise | 78' |
| 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)