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Holland 0 1 Spain (AET) | 2010-07-12 |
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A lacklustre performance from Spain won them their first ever World Cup in a scrappy affair at the Soccer City stadium in Durban.The 2010 South African tournament was brought to a close in unspectacular fashion, with Andres Iniesta settling the game after 116 minutes, which failed to live up to its total football billing. Holland began the game in combative mode, with the clear intention of stifling Spain's passing game. Coach Bert Van Marwijk's tactics made for a dour first half with few chances and several yellow cards. The aggressive midfield duo of Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong made their presence known early with some crunching tackles, culminating with a nasty incident after half an hour. De Jong was lucky to stay on the field after a reckless kick boot into Xabi Alonso's chest, which left the former Liverpool midfielder in need of treatment from the physio. Mercifully, English referee Howard Webb let De Jong get away with just a yellow card. The only real chance of the first half fell to Arjen Robben, whose low drive was tipped wide by Iker Casillas in the Spain goal, leaving an oddly subdued atmosphere amongst the 85,000 fans packed into Durban's Soccer City stadium. Not even the infamous vuvuzelas were particularly noticeable in a dour first half that produced 20 fouls. The second 45 minutes saw a slightly raised tempo, with Spanish defender Carles Puyol heading over from a corner in the early stages. The disappointing Pedro was withdrawn by coach Vincente Del Bosque just before the hour mark, but Fernando Torres was left to kick his heels as Jesus Navas was picked as the preferred substitute. It took until 61 minutes for any player to get a clear cut chance at goal, with Robben racing clear with only Casillas to beat. The Bayern Munich midfielder's shot was low and Casillas did well to save with his feet. The barrage of petulant fouls continued and few will be surprised to learn that this game set the record for the most yellow cards in a World Cup Final with 14. Spanish talisman and top scorer David Villa made his first meaningful impression on the game after 70 minutes, with a short range shot which was deflected over after some shaky Dutch defending. Spain squandered another gilt-edged chance five minutes later as Sergio Ramos powered a free header over the bar, as the likelihood of extra time grew and grew. Tempers frayed in the later stages as Andres Iniesta shoved Van Bommel off the ball following another scrappy challenge by the Dutch anchorman. In the dying minutes of normal time Robben was played through again, but Casillas proved unbeatable once more. The late introduction of Cesc Fabregas for Xabi Alonso breathed life into the tie as proceedings moved into extra time, with the Arsenal midfielder creating several decent chances. Holland had their fair share of the opportunities with Jonas Mathijsen wasting a header on an open goal with an awkward deflection off his shoulder. John Heitinga became the villain of the final in the second half of extra time, when the seemingly inevitable red card arrived. The Everton centre back hauled down David Villa, when the dynamic striker had a clear run at goal. Webb gave a second yellow, but in truth it could easily have been a straight red. Holland held on for ten minutes, but Iniesta capitalised on Spain's numerical advantage by slotting home Fabregas's incisive through ball. Emotional scenes at the final whistle saw keeper Casillas lift the World Cup meaning that a European team lifted the Julet Rimet trophy for the first time outside of their own continent. Spain also became the third team to be both World and European champions at the first time, and whilst the manner of their victory will not delight the neutrals, the efficiency of their progress suggests they will be a major force on the world stage for years to come.
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A lacklustre performance from Spain won them their first ever World Cup in a scrappy affair at the Soccer City stadium in Durban.

