Spain defeated the Netherlands with a 1-0 score, and won the World Cup
Representatives of Spain won the football World Cup, after defeating the Dutch squad, including overtime, scoring 1-0 (0-0), the final competition in South Africa, played on Sunday evening in Johannesburg. The only goal of the meeting was marked by Andres Iniesta in minute 117. Netherlands: 1. Stekelenburg – 2. Van der Wiel, 3. Heitinga, 4. Mathijsen, 5. Van Bronckhorst (15. Braafheid ’105) – 6. Van Bommel, 8. De Jong (23. Van der Vaart ’99) – 11. Robben. 10. Sneijder, 7. Kuyt (17. Elia ’71) – 9. Van Persie. Coach: Bert van Marwijk.Spain: 1. Casillas – 15. Sergio Ramos, 3. Pique, 5. Puyol, 11. Capdevila – 16. Busquets, 14. Xabi Alonso (10. Fabregas ’87) – 18. Pedro (22. Jesus Navas 60), 8. Xavi, 6. Iniesta – 7. Villa (9. Fernando Torres ’106). Coach: Vicente Del Bosque.
Yellow Cards: Van Persie ’15, ’22, Van Bommel, De Jong ’28, ’54, Van Bronckhorst, Heitinga ’57, ’109, ’84 Robben, Van der Wiel ’111, ’117 Mathijsen / ’16 Puyol, Sergio Ramos ’23, ’67 Capdevila, Iniesta ’118.
Red card: Heitinga ’109.
Best player of the match was Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta.
The match was refereed by an English brigade of Howard Webb at the center, aided by assistants Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey.
The World Cup final has been watched by, among others, Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia, with Queen Sofia, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Pieter Balkenende and Prince Willem-Alexander of Holland, Princess Maxima and Prince Albert of Monaco. There were also present in Johannesburg Morgan Freeman (No – who played Nelson Mandela in “Invictus”), former Nobel Peace Prize – Desmond Tutu, former UN Secretary General – Kofi Annan, the IOC president – Jacques Rogge, tenor Placido Domingo and model Naomi Campbell.11
