final world cup 2010 ...spain vs holland 1-0

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Spain stunned the Netherlands to win their first World Cup on Sunday in sensational fashion with a goal in the last minutes of extra time.With the scoreless match inching toward a penalty shootout, and the Netherlands down to 10 men, Andres Iniesta collected a pass from Cesc Fabregas to fire home from close range and break Dutch hearts four minutes from the final whistle.It was the first time the European champions had reached a World Cup final and a bitter disappointment for the Netherlands who finished runners-up for the third time after previously losing the 1974 and 1978 finals.

It was also the first triumph by a European side outside their continent.
The result caused agony in the Netherlands and ecstasy in Madrid where fans shed tears of joy and fireworks went off all over the city. More than 10O,000 people had gathered to watch on giant screens and many went hoarse with screams of joy.
In contrast, Dutch cities became deadly silent as their dream of finally winning the trophy evaporated. Some 180,000 fans trudged away quietly from Amsterdam’s museum square.
The game was far from the classic final to Africa’s first World Cup that many had hoped for from the two most impressive teams in the tournament.
Spain looked dominant for long passages but a ferociously physical Netherlands broke up their rhythm and their renowned precision passing in midfield, often reducing the game to a sterile stalemate.
BRUISING ENCOUNTER
In a bruising encounter in the huge Soccer City stadium, referee Howard Webb showed 13 yellow cards—a record for the final—and sent off Dutch defender John Heitinga in extra time.
Despite the disappointing quality of the match, it was a triumphant end to a highly successful tournament for South Africa who confounded years of pessimistic predictions that it would be ruined by violent crime and chaos.
To cap their pride, Nelson Mandela, much loved father of post-apartheid South Africa, briefly toured the pitch waving to the 85,000-strong crowd just before the match began.
Mandela, 91, who is in frail health, was driven around in a golf cart surrounded by bodyguards and greeted by an adoring crowd chanting his clan name Madiba.
The former president, who led South Africa out of apartheid in 1994, was unable to attend the opening ceremony because of the death of his great grand-daughter in a car accident the night before.
Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque told television: “It was a very difficult match. We have fantastic players. We could have scored another goal or two. But I think the result was deserved. It’s a very happy day for me.”
Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk said the better team had won in the end: “It is very sad. These three or four final minutes and then you lose. I really had thought even with 10 we would be able to do the penalty shoot out.
“It is bitter but that is sport. It is harsh.”
Both sides missed good goalscoring opportunities, most notably Dutch winger Arjen Robben who was twice denied by brilliant saves from Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
FIFA said a worldwide television audience of more than 700 million had been expected to watch the final.
The victory will raise spirits in Spain which is torn by bitter political infighting over how to address Europe’s highest unemployment and crippling debt.
Despite being the first host nation knocked out at the group stage, South Africans have remained enthusiastic spectators, helping this tournament to be the third best attended, with three million seats sold, behind the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006. President Jacob Zuma dubbed them true champions.
Chief local organizer Danny Jordaan said the tournament had brought the races together and enabled South Africans to walk tall after being told for years they were inferior.
But African joy at a tournament credited with rebranding both South Africa and the continent was blighted by two bomb blasts in the Ugandan capital Kampala that killed at least 23 people watching the final in bars, police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.


JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was surprisingly awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 World Cup.

Atletico Madrid striker Forlan grabbed five goals at the tournament as his country finished in fourth place after losing Saturday's third-place play-off to Germany.


The former Manchester United player polled 23.4 percent of the votes awarded by media covering the tournament with Wesley Sneijder, of runners-up Holland, on 21.8 percent, and David Villa, of newly-crowned champions Spain, taking 16.9 percent.


"This is award which I won thanks to my teammates," wrote Forlan on his Twitter account, a post accompanied by a photograph where the striker is standing with other players.
"It was taken before they threw me in the swimming pool," he explained.
Uruguay's performance at the World Cup was the country's best in 40 years.
Forlan succeeds Zinedine Zidane who was named top player of the 2006 World Cup despite his infamous red card in the final defeat to Italy.
Forlan's victory was a surprise as five players who featured in Sunday's final (Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta of Spain and Holland's Arjen Robben and Sneijder) all figured in the list of 10 nominees.
The 31-year-old Forlan also won the Europa League last season with Atletico Madrid.
Thomas Mueller was given two reasons to celebrate after the German starlet was named Young Player of the World Cup and picked up the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer.
The 20-year-old Bayern Munich forward finished the tournament with five goals, the same number as Forlan, Sneijder and Villa.
He was awarded the Golden Boot because he had supplied three assists, which was more than any of his rivals.
Mueller was elected the tournament's outstanding young player by FIFA's Technical Study Group, beating off competition from Ghana winger Andre Ayew and Mexican forward Giovanni dos Santos.
Spain's Iker Casillas was voted the best goalkeeper after his side won the trophy by beating Holland 1-0 in the final.
Casillas, who twice crucially denied Robben with the score at 0-0, gets FIFA's Golden Glove award after conceding just two goals in seven matches.
Capping a fine night for Spain was the award for fair play for having the best disciplinary record.