Opta's Top 30 World Cup 2010 Facts: ( http://www.optasports.com/about/news/feature-opta's-top-30-2010-world-cup-facts.html )
- Argentina have not lost a match after taking the lead at the World Cup since their 3-1 defeat to West Germany in 1958.
- Japan had only three shots in their win against Cameroon; the fewest by a winning side in the World Cup finals since 1966.
- Miroslav Klose (4) scored more goals in the 2010 World Cup than he did in the German Bundesliga (3) in 2009-10.
- Italy have now drawn 21 games at World Cup Finals – more than any other side.
- Before their meeting with Portugal, Brazil had scored in 25 successive group matches at the World Cup, since drawing 0-0 with Spain in 1978.
- South Africa became the first host nation to be eliminated from the World Cup at the Group Stage.
- Switzerland set a new record for consecutive minutes without conceding at the World Cup finals, 9 hours & 18 minutes.
- South American sides lost just one of their 15 Group Stage matches.
- Italy’s goalkeepers made just one save at this World Cup, conceding five goals from six shots on target.
- Between 16th and 24th June there were eight consecutive days with at least one red card.
- Brazil have topped their group in every single World Cup since 1982.
- Spain were the first team since Hungary in 1986 not to collect a single card in the group stage.
- There have been six red cards in the last five World Cup matches involving Australia.
- England haven't won a World Cup finals match where the opposition have scored since beating Cameroon in 1990.
- Eduardo was the last goalkeeper to concede at this World Cup, going 332 minutes and facing 15 shots without letting one past.
- The only World Cup semi-final won by more than a one-goal margin since 1986 was Germany v Italy in 2006, and that was after extra time.
- The Germany v England game in the 2010 World Cup saw fewer fouls than any World Cup game from 1966-2010 (13).
- Germany had to wait until the 32nd minute for their first shot in the semi final against Spain, longer than in any of their World Cup games from 1966 to present day.
- Abdelkader Ghezzal picked up two yellows faster than any other sub in World Cup history – it took him just 14 minutes and 19 seconds to be sent off.
- Lukas Podolski has scored more goals for Germany (40) than he has in German League football (39).
- Portugal v North Korea saw six different goalscorers; only one game in World Cup history (Yugoslavia v Zaire in 1974) saw more (7).
- Frank Lampard has now hit 39 shots at World Cups without scoring, more than any other player since 1966.
- Spain v Paraguay was the first time two penalties have been missed in the same match since Argentina v Mexico in 1930.
- Diego Forlan became the first player to score three goals outside the box in a single World Cup tournament since Lothar Matthäus in 1990.
- Juan Sebastien Veron attempted 153 and completed 131 passes against Greece. Both are record World Cup highs since 1966.
- The Netherlands lined up with shirt numbers 1-11. This was the first time that this has happened in a World Cup final since squad numbers were introduced in 1954.
- The Netherlands have picked up 22 yellow cards in this tournament, only Argentina (23-1990) have picked more in a single World Cup finals.
- Spain became the first side to ever win the World Cup after losing their opening match of the tournament.
- Spain have now made more successful passes in a World Cup than any team since 1966, surpassing Brazil from 1994 (3547).
- The Netherlands have made more fouls than any other team in four of the last seven World Cup finals that they have played in.
Bolded are some of the better ones.
