Netherlands 0 - 1 Spain

Iniesta netted the only goal of the game in the second period of extra-time in a bad-tempered bruising encounter that saw 13 yellow cards and Dutch defender John Heitinga sent off for a second bookable offence.

Just as everybody thought the match would be the third final destined to be settled by a penalty shoot-out, the Barcelona midfielder found himself free in the Dutch box and hammered an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Iniesta, who was named Man of the Match, paid tribute to former Spanish under-21 player Daniel Jarque, who died of a heart attack last year, by whipping off his jersey and displaying a note on his t-shirt saying “Dani Jarque always with us”.

English referee Howard Webb handed out eight yellows and a red to Holland and five more to Spain — a record number of indiscretions for a World Cup final.

After a goalless first half, the second part of the all-European World Cup final continued in a deadlocked vein until Wesley Sneijder split the Spanish defense with a perfectly-weighted ball into the path of Arjen Robben after 62 minutes.

Robben wasted two great chances to give his side the lead and Spain also squandered two good openings for David Villa and Sergio Ramos.

Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who crucially denied Robben twice, was voted the best goalkeeper at the World Cup.

Casillas got FIFA’s Golden Glove award after conceding just two goals in seven matches.

Spain became the eighth country to win the World Cup despite scoring a record low eight goals in the tournament. It was Spain’s first world title in its first final while the Netherlands have lost all three finals they have participated in. It was a cruel blow for a Dutch side that had hoped to eradicate memories of the country's defeats in the 1974 and 1978 finals.

The victory sees Spain joins Brazil (five times winner), Italy (four), Germany (three), Uruguay (two), Argentina (two), England (one) and France (one) as world champion.

Following the triumph, a thunderous roar erupted across the Spanish capital and fans gathered in the streets chanting "Viva Espana!" as the country’s first ever World Cup trophy sparked a nationwide fiesta.

After the medal ceremony in front of 84,490 spectators at Soccer City Stadium, Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 World Cup.

And German rising star Thomas Mueller claimed the World Cup Golden Boot ahead of super-stars such as Netherland’s Sneijder, Spain’s Villa and Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, who finished with five goals each, by virtue of his three assists in the tournament.

The 20-year-old Mueller scored his fifth World Cup goal in Germany’s 3-2 win over Uruguay on Saturday in the third place play-off. FIFA also named him as the best young player of the tournament.

Source: presstv.ir

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