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EA SPORTS Predicts Spain Will Win the 2010 FIFA World Cupâ„¢

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--And the FIFA World Cup Trophy goes to … Spain! Electronic Arts today declared the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Using the market-leading EA SPORTS™ soccer engine that drives 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, EA was able to simulate the 2010 FIFA World Cup and test all 32 teams under the same conditions they will face in the weeks ahead. It was determined that Spain will defeat Brazil 3-1 at Soccer City on July 11 to win its first World Cup.

EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, the officially licensed videogame of the World Cup, predicted the following placements:

  • World Champion: Spain
  • World Cup Final: Spain 3 Brazil 1
  • 1st team to be eliminated: South Africa
  • Golden Boot winner: David Villa (Spain), 7 goals
  • Golden Ball winner: Kaka (Brazil)

Fans around the globe will compare these astonishing results to the real-world tournament as it unfolds beginning June 11. The Final itself was an epic battle as Brazil put on a dazzling display of free-flowing samba style soccer early on against the Spaniards, taking a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute with a Felipe Melo strike from just inside the box. It didn’t take long for Spain to level the score after a goalie error that left striker David Villa in the clear. He tapped in his 6th goal of the tournament in the 42nd minute. The second half saw fortunes turn in favour of Spain, as their disciplined build up play and domination of possession paid off with a goal in the 61st minute when Villa connected for his second goal of the match, off of Andres Iniesta’s driven cross. Brazil had several efforts on goal in the final third of the match but couldn’t capitalize on its chances as they pushed all players forward in an attempt to draw even, eventually conceding a splendid counter attack goal in the 88th minute from Cesc Fabregas, which delivered Spain the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Spain’s path to FIFA World Cup glory included a quarterfinal 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Italy after an absorbing 1-1 draw, and a 2-1 win over Argentina in the semi final. Brazil’s journey to the Final included a 3-2 win over the Netherlands in the quarter final and a 5-4 shootout victory over England after the two teams played out a 2-2 draw in the semi.

USA lost its opening match 2-1 to England before registering wins over Slovenia (2-0) and Algeria (2-1) to advance to the Round of 16, where it played Germany to a 2-2 draw before losing 3-1 in a penalty shootout. Mexico also recorded a 2-1 record in the Group Stage, with wins over South Africa (2-0) and Uruguay (2-1), before losing 2-1 to Argentina in the Round of 16.

Visit http://www.FIFA-WORLD-CUP.EASPORTS.COM for more information about game features on each available platform. EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is in stores now. It is rated “E�?? for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI in Europe. Screenshots can be downloaded at http://info.ea.com.

EA SPORTSâ„¢ 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africaâ„¢ results:

Final   Score
Brazil   1
Spain   3
     
3rd Place Game    
England   2
Argentina   1
     
Semi Finals    
England   2
Brazil   2 (5-4 Pens)
     
Spain   2
Argentina   1
     
Quarter Finals    
Brazil   3
Netherlands   2
     
England   2
France   1
     
Germany   1
Argentina   3
     
Italy   1
Spain   1 (5-4 Pens)
     
Round of 16    
France   2
Nigeria   1
     
England   3
Australia   1
     
USA   2
Germany   2 (3-1 Pens)
     
Argentina   2
Mexico   1
     
Netherlands   2
Slovakia   0
     
Brazil   3
Chile   1
     
Italy   2
Cameroon   1
     
Spain   3
Portugal   1
 
Group Play                        
Group A                   Team   Points
South Africa   0     Mexico   2     France   7
Uruguay   1     France   1     Mexico   6
South Africa   0     Uruguay   2     Uruguay   3
France   1     Mexico   0     South Africa   0
Mexico   2     Uruguay   1          
South Africa   1     France   3          
Group B                   Team   Points
Argentina   3     Nigeria   2     Argentina   9
Korea Republic   1     Greece   1     Nigeria   6
Greece   0     Nigeria   2     Korea Republic   1
Argentina   3     Korea Republic   0     Greece   1
Nigeria   2     Korea Republic   1          
Greece   0     Argentina   2          
Group C                   Team   Points
England   2     USA   1     England   9
Algeria   1     Slovenia   2     USA   6
Slovenia   0     USA   2     Slovenia   3
England   3     Algeria   0     Algeria   0
USA   2     Algeria   1          
Slovenia   0     England   3          
Group D                   Team   Points
Germany   2     Australia   2     Germany   5
Serbia   1     Ghana   1     Australia   5
Germany   2     Serbia   1     Ghana   2
Ghana   1     Australia   1     Serbia   2
Australia   1     Serbia   1          
Ghana   2     Germany   2          
Group E                   Team   Points
Netherlands   3     Denmark   1     Netherlands   7
Japan   0     Cameroon   2     Cameroon   7
Netherlands   2     Japan   0     Denmark   1
Cameroon   2     Denmark   1     Japan   1
Denmark   1     Japan   1          
Cameroon   2     Netherlands   3          
Group F                   Team   Points
Italy   2     Paraguay   1     Italy   9
New Zealand   0     Slovakia   2     Slovakia   4
Slovakia   2     Paraguay   2     Paraguay   4
Italy   3     New Zealand   0     New Zealand   0
Paraguay   2     New Zealand   1          
Slovakia   1     Italy   3          
Group G                   Team   Points
Ivory Coast   2     Portugal   2     Brazil   7
Brazil   3     Korea DPR   0     Portugal   5
Brazil   2     Ivory Coast   1     Ivory Coast   4
Portugal   3     Korea DPR   0     Korea DPR   0
Korea DPR   0     Ivory Coast   2          
Portugal   1     Brazil   1          
Group H                   Team   Points
Honduras   1     Chile   3     Spain   9
Spain   3     Switzerland   0     Chile   4
Chile   1     Switzerland   1     Switzerland   4
Spain   4     Honduras   1     Honduras   0
Switzerland   2     Honduras   1          
Chile   0     Spain   2          
             

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSâ„¢, EAâ„¢, EA Mobileâ„¢ and POGOâ„¢. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.© The Official Emblem and Official Mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and the FIFA World Cup Trophy are copyrights and trademarks of FIFA. All rights reserved. Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. Player names and likenesses used under license from FIFA, International Federation of Professional Footballers "(FIFPro)" and national teams. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox 360 are registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation�?? is a registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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