Viva Espana - Spain finally win the FIFA World Cup | Thebigtip

World Cup befits Spain - by George Caulkin in Johannesburg from theaustralian.com

SPAIN has cemented its position as the pre-eminent footballing nation of the era by claiming its first World Cup.
It comes two years after the Spanish coronation as European champions, in a fractious final that had Howard Webb, the English referee, at its heart.

On a bad-tempered evening in Johannesburg, during which Holland consigned its reputation as practitioners of Total Football to history, the first World Cup to be held on African soil ended with Spain becoming the eighth country to win the competition.

In total, Webb, the former policeman from Rotherham, brandished 15 cards, 14 yellow and one red, of which ten were shown to Holland players. The previous record for a World Cup final was six.

The presence of Nelson Mandela, the former South African President, at the closing ceremony was a fitting conclusion to a tournament that has been hosted with distinction.

But the game itself was memorable for largely dubious reasons.

Goalless after the first period of extra time, it was not until the 116th minute that the deadlock was broken when Andres Iniesta collected a pass from Cesc Fabregas, the Arsenal captain, and beat Maarten Stekelenburg with a right-foot shot.

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