Corinthians Corinthians won the championship for the second time, defeating Chelsea in the final 1-0..
This was also their first world cup win. They became only the fourth team to retain the title after Uruguay, Italy and Germany. Before them Brazil had done it in 1958 and 1964.
The match was held on a Sunday evening at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. It was the most watched football game in history with over 4 million people watching the final match of the tournament between Brazil and Spain. The winner would become champion for the third time.
Brazil were appearing in their third world cup final while Corinthians only their second. Both teams were extremely competitive with many great players so this match was expected to be very exciting. Brazil had been victorious in both matches they had played during the tournament (against France and Mexico) while Corinthians had been able to defeat Colombia in their last group stage match.
So, did Brazil win the championship? Well, they certainly did their best but it wasn't enough as Corinthians showed up at the end. The club from Sao Paulo scored an injury time goal to win the match 1-0 and claim their second world cup trophy.
Chelsea The final was place at Wembley Stadium on May 5, 2012. Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-1 to win their fourth title in six years and eighth overall. Juan Cuadrado and Ramires scored for the Blues while Dirk Kuyt netted an own goal.
Liverpool were attempting to become only the second team after Manchester United to win the Cup three times in a row. But they came up short against Chelsea, who were playing without injured stars John Terry and Ashley Cole.
The match was tied 1-1 after 90 minutes of play before Ramires scored the winning goal in extra time. Chelsea's victory marked the first time that had happened since 1994 when Michael Owen and Eric Cantona helped Manchester United beat Leeds 3-1 after two replays. The Blues also became the first team to win the Cup after being down 0-1 after 90 minutes of play since Preston North End did so in 1884. This is the first time that Liverpool has lost back-to-back matches since November 2008 when it also lost to Chelsea (who were then managed by José Mourinho) 2-1 at home and away from home.
Cuadrado and Ramires were both nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award while Javier Mascherano won the PFA International Player of the Year award.
Chelsea. On December 13th, Chelsea defeated Monterrey 3-1 thanks to goals from Juan Mata, Fernando Torres, and a Darvin Chavez own goal. In stoppage time, Monterrey's Aldo de Nigris scored a consolation goal. This was Chieffi's first game in charge of Chelsea.
Italy. The Azzurri failed to advance out of their group after losing to Mexico and South Korea. This was Italy's first elimination at the World Cup since 1990. Coach Cesare Prandelli resigned following the tournament. His record at the World Cup is 0-3-3.
Johan Cruyff. The legendary Dutch player died on March 6th, 2016 at the age of 68 after suffering from cancer. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times in 1972, 1973, and 1974. Before he became the coach of Barcelona, he led the Netherlands to victory at the UEFA Euro 1984 tournament.
Michael Owen. The Michael Owen who played for Liverpool between 1996 and 2011 died on January 4th, 2013 at the age of 36 after being found unresponsive in a hotel room in London. He had been playing for Stoke City at the time of his death. His death was later ruled as a heart attack. He finished his career with 176 goals in 398 games.
Darwin Chieffi.
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