Spain are crowned World Champions
Spain are crowned World Champions
Posted: Jul 11 2010
Andres Iniesta's volley deep into extra-time saw Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010 World Cup Final at Soccer City.
In a game marred by 14 yellow cards and a red for Johnny Heitinga, Iniesta's volley proved decisive as the Spanish added the world crown to the European title.
Xavi created the first chance of the match after five minutes, sending a free-kick in from the right to find Sergio Ramos, but his header was saved by Maarten Stekelenburg.
Netherlands’ first shot at goal came when Dirk Kuyt scuffed a 30-yard effort after Sergio Busquets had failed to control a simple square pass, but the Liverpool man’s effort was easily gathered by Iker Casillas.
In the 11th minute Spain created a second decent opportunity, and again it was through Ramos. Having run at Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he took a step to the right and saw a gap open up, but his right-footed effort was blocked by Joris Mathijsen.
From the resulting corner Xavi Hernandez swung in a far post ball for David Villa, but the striker’s volleyed effort hit the side-netting when he’d have hoped to do better.
Wesley Sneijder fired in a dangerous free-kick, but Casillas managed to collect before the ball took a potentially nasty bounce.
Whilst Spain were still enjoying most of the possession, suddenly the Netherlands were managing to earn more territorial advantage, breaking up the opposition’s rhythm – often through rash challenges rather than clever play.
And the Dutch almost took the lead in bizarre circumstances. Casillas had thrown the ball out after he’d collided with Puyol, allowing the defender to receive treatment, but upon arrival of the long pass from a Dutchman at the restart, the keeper misread the flight and had to palm the ball away for a corner.
The next Dutch corner nearly had a very different ending. Robben played the ball in low to the edge of the area, from where Van Bommel played a cross to the far post for Mathijsen, but the centre-back could only respond with a complete air shot.
On the stroke of half-time Netherlands created one of the best chances when Robben cut inside to drill a low left foot shot which Casillas got down to and pushed wide.
Spain appeared to come out after the interval with a little bit more fire in their bellies as they looked to repeat their second half efforts against Germany. Within three minutes they’d forged an opening when Puyol got his head to a right wing corner and Capdevila failed to get anywhere near enough on his right foot effort and the ball ran harmlessly away.
Mathijsen did well to head away from a Capdevila cross as a game finally started to break out amongst the scrappy challenges.
Suddenly, the best chance of the final was handed to Robben by a delicious through-ball by Sneijder and a bad misjudgement on the part of Gerard Pique. The Bayern Munich winger found himself one-on-one with Casillas, but after delaying once too often, his shot sent the keeper the wrong way, but was blocked by Casillas’ boot nonetheless.
After an excellent exchange between Villa and Xavi, the former had a left foot shot well blocked by Heitinga, but from the corner Sergio Ramos was guilty of wasting a magnificent chance to settle the contest as he headed over from eight yards when completely unmarked.
Iniesta then came extremely close to opening the deadlock when he jinked past Heitinga inside the box, but Wesley Sneijder of all people was sweeping up behind the defence and made a magnificent last-ditch challenge to save the Dutch.
In the 83rd minute it was Holland’s Robben who could have struck as he left Puyol and Pique in his wake before Casillas smothered the ball. The Bayern Munich winger exaggerated his contact with the keeper having shrugged off a near rugby tackle from Puyol, but all he succeeded in doing was earning a yellow card for his fall and subsequent penalty claims.
Sneijder looked to steal a glorious victory on the stroke of full-time, but his ambitious 45 yard effort went harmlessly wide.
Within two minutes of the extra 30 minutes resuming, Spain thought they should have had a penalty when Heitinga and Xavi collided, but it looked as though the midfielder made contact with the Dutchman rather than the other way around.
The European champions then forced a real save out of Stekelenburg for the first time since the early moments of normal time as Fabregas broke clear, but the big goalkeeper did superbly to block his right foot shot.
It then took a magnificent piece of defending from Van Bronckhorst to keep the scores level as the game became more stretched. Fabregas sent Iniesta through, but the Dutch skipper did brilliantly to send Iniesta onto his wrong foot and then snuff out the danger, winning a goal-kick to boot.
Bert van Marwijk decided to increase the attacking intentions of his team by bringing on Rafael van der Vaart for defensive midfielder De Jong.
Referee Howard Webb had gone overboard with his cautions early in the game, and it came as no surprise when a red finally appeared – Heitinga getting an early shower for a second yellow card, the fifth player to be dismissed in a World Cup final.
With five minutes left a Wesley Sneijder free-kick was clearly met with a heavy deflection off Fabregas in the wall, but the referee’s rough night continued when he failed to spot the touch and gave a goal kick. There was then an apparent foul on Elia on the edge of the area overlooked as Holland looked for a winner.
And the decision was to be vital as Spain broke to the other end of the pitch and scored a 116th minute winner. With the 10-man Dutch stretched, the Furia Roja used the extra man as Iniesta got on the end of a crossfield ball at the far post to drill across Stekelenburg into the back of the net.
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: 2010-07-11 23:15
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