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Spain beats Netherlands in extra time, captures first World Cup

Spain 4 (Reuters) 

By FRANCO PANIZO

Spain's World Cup may have started off with a nightmare result, but it ended with a dream come true.

Spain captured its first World Cup title with a 1-0 extra time victory over the Netherlands on Sunday at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

Andres Iniesta scored the winner off a pass from substitute Cesc Fabregas in the 116th minute. 

The game was a chippy affair, with English referee Howard Webb handing out 13 cards, including a second yellow on John Heitinga in the 109th minute.

While the Dutch had to settle as runners-up for the third time in their World Cup history, they did have opportunities to win the game despite their defensive and physical gameplan. The most notable chance came in the 62nd minute when Arjen Robben was played through on goal by Wesley Sneijder, but his shot was denied by the foot of Iker Casillas.

Here are the match highlights:

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What do you think of Spain winning the World Cup? What could the Netherlands have done differently? Who impressed you today? Think Spain is capable of a repeat in 2014?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Every player on both teams dive. It’s just that some are better at it than others. I guess you never watch Barca.

    Reply
  2. Just Google “Landon Donovan”

    I didn’t say our guys do not work hard enough.

    Because there are no Americans who play regularly for top flight teams in the Champions league ( the highest level )it is hard to get national team players who truly understand that competitive environment. By comparison the Dutch and the Spanish face that stuff on a regular basis. Mark Von Bommel is not a brutal psycho by accident. He does that crap because he knows, from experience, that it helps him win.

    Consequently, our guys are at a very bad competitive disadvantage one even the best coach will have a lot of trouble making up for.

    That kind of competitive intensity is not something you turn off and on with a switch; you learn it the hard way and our guys don’t have the opportunity.

    If you always face AAA pitching how do you expect to do when you suddenly have to face the Yankees in the World Series?

    Reply
  3. Wow. The amount of needless immature homophobic whining on this thread is simply astounding.

    I dunno know if soccer won or lost anything from this final, but SBI sure lost some points today for the “quality” of these postings.

    You all should get a life.

    Reply
  4. Dutch did all they could. Their thuggery in the first half disrupted Spain’s
    rythm enough to keep them in the match for 120 minutes. Spain was
    clearly better- it was just a matter of time before they broke through.
    Interesting thought-Arena and Van Mariwik (sp) both decent national
    managers- both had just one cap for their country.

    Reply
  5. I will take your word on the Donovan comments, since I dont know any different. But to call out all of our players as not working hard enough is unfair. If you must blame something then blame the system. Consider: how does top American youth talent develop this understanding and competition you mention? Our kids can’t go the local/regional training systems ala Europe. Really the only choice at the moment is to leave home as a minor and go to Europe. Takes serious balls/determination/money/risk to pull that off. Hopefully in the future we will develop academies here in the States good enough to develop world class talent. Until then, we work with what we have.

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  6. Ha ha ha I’m Dutch. There were a bunch of heavy fauls but also a lot of acting that aroused the real fouls cause the referee was too fast showing yellow. This guy played a giant role in all cause he really blew his whistle too fast in the beginning and the result was irritation but also helplessness. Puyol should have been sent off for tackling Robben on his second run (Second yellow card is red) and Iniesta for kicking Van Bommel after a tackle. Off course there was Bruce Lee de Jong. It was a strange game. Netherlands had seen the Germans going down and it’s a final so you want to win, even if the opponent is stronger. The moment the Spanish crossed the middle line they were attacked and that made their playing difficult. If Robben had scored the Dutch would have won cause the same thing would have happened as with Brazil. I know everybody hated the Dutch for their playing but why be led to the slaughterhouse as a stupid lamb. I think they did what they had to do and they fought for it. That is what you should do.

    Reply
  7. Seeing how soccer explains the world, does this mean the Spanish win represents a grass-roots “go local” revolution against the corrupting powers of globalization personified, most cynically, by the Dutch?

    Reply
  8. Derrick,

    I think it’s great that “Africa” got the world cup, even if it was “South Africa.” I have to say that South Africa is nothing like Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Ivory Coast, etc. The whole premise of the “African” World Cup is flawed in that they chose a very “safe” country to stage it.

    “White Euros like the English didn’t like it because they had to travel?” Based on that logic, white people must hate Brazilians, South Koreans, Japanese, Germans, Americans and on down the line where they had to travel.

    Run along now…

    Reply
  9. The kung fu kick was pretty bad, but do you send off a player in a World Cup final that early in the game? The World Cup is a spectacle for the world and if De Jong would have gotten a red, it would have been pure torture watching the rest of that game.

    Reply

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