SPAIN QUEEN OF THE WORLD

INIESTA WINNER CROWNS SPAIN WORLD CHAMPIONS

Netherlands 0-1 Spain (aet)
European titleholders Spain won the FIFA World Cup for the first time thanks to Andrés Iniesta's strike in the second period of extra time.

Andrés Iniesta scored a 116th-minute winner as Spain lifted the FIFA World Cup for the first time after defeating ten-man Netherlands 1-0 in Johannesburg.

Having been played in by substitute Cesc Fàbregas, Iniesta drilled across Maarten Stekelenburg with penalties looming at Soccer City. That came seven minutes after John Heitinga was dismissed for pulling down the FC Barcelona midfielder. Arjen Robben had earlier squandered the best chance of normal time for the Oranje when one on one with Iker Casillas, a miss which was ultimately to prove costly as the European champions condemned their opponents to a third World Cup final defeat and became the first nation to win the crown after losing their opening game.

Sergio Ramos almost headed Spain into the lead inside five minutes, forcing Stekelenburg into a diving save from Xavi Hernández's delivery. Spain were showing few signs of nerves in their first World Cup showpiece, with Ramos again to the fore soon after, skipping past Dirk Kuyt and driving in a shot which Heitinga scooped over his crossbar. From the resulting short corner, David Villa volleyed into the side netting.

The Oranje gradually found their feet but any attempts either side made at settling into a rhythm were hindered by a plethora of fouls in midfield, resulting in five bookings by the 28th minute. Save for Spain's early opportunities, neither team had functioned as an attacking force, though Casillas had to be alert on the cusp of half-time to turn away Robben's near-post shot.

Little had been seen of two of the players leading the tournament's scoring charts, five-goal duo Villa and Wesley Sneijder, until the latter's perfectly weighted pass fashioned the best chance of the match. However, Robben, with time to pick his spot, had his effort kept out by Casillas' outstretched right leg.

That was the cue for the game to open up, with Villa next to wonder how he failed to score midway through the half, Heitinga atoning for miscuing Jesús Navas's cross at the far post by somehow blocking the striker's shot. Like his team-mate, Ramos had his head in his hands moments later after nodding over Xavi's corner when unmarked eight metres out. With extra time approaching, Casillas was quick to smother at the feet of Robben after the winger outstripped Carles Puyol.

Fàbregas passed up the clearest chance of extra time when he was denied by the legs of Stekelenburg, who was then thankful for Giovanni van Bronckhorst deflecting Navas’s shot wide. Heitinga was dismissed in the 109th minute but just as it seemed penalties would be required, up popped Iniesta to win it for the European champions

SIMPLY THE BEST! CONGRATULATIONS SPAIN! FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS,SPANISH WILL BE THE MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE !

Netherlands and Spain WC FINAL 2010

Netherlands and Spain poised for final act

Bert van Marwijk wants his Netherlands team to shrug off the magnitude of the final and be themselves against Spain, whose coach Vicente del Bosque feels both sides are "almost identical".

Spain striker David Villa feels Spain must demonstrate their much fabled ability to keep possession to prevail in Sunday's FIFA World Cup final, while Netherlands captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst admits he is dreaming of following in the footsteps of some vaunted names in lifting the coveted trophy.

The maiden global finals to be held in Africa are already guaranteed to produce a first European winner outside their own continent, but such records are far from the minds of Vicente del Bosque and Bert van Marwijk, the latter of whom is calling on his team to stamp their mark on the occasion.

"It is important everyone is himself, certainly against a top side like Spain," said the Oranje coach, who welcomes back the suspended Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong. "There is no need for me to motivate the players. We are two sides who are very organised, with players in both teams who can decide it. I think the best two teams are in the final, underlining the word 'team'".

Such sentiments are echoed by Villa, top scorer in Spain's triumphant UEFA EURO 2008 campaign and once again topping the table – along with Wesley Sneijder, Diego Forlán and Thomas Müller – in the race to be this tournament's most prolific marksman. Should he find the net in the showpiece Villa would also draw level with Raúl González as Spain's all-time leading scorer with 44 goals.

"[In the semi final] Germany wanted to have the ball, but in the end they were forced to retreat because of our game," said the new FC Barcelona recruit. "The Netherlands will also want to have possession and to attack but we're hoping it will be extremely difficult for them to get the ball off us."

Van Bronckhorst will retire after the denouement in Johannesburg and has his sights set on bowing out on a high by taking his country, beaten finalists in 1974 and 1978, one step further. "In the past I saw players like Maradona, Cafu and Dunga lifting the World Cup, so it is a dream to also lift it ourselves," said the former FC Barcelona defender, whose side have followed a 100% qualifying record with six wins out of six in South Africa. "It will be fantastic for the whole of the Netherlands to win the World Cup for the first time."

Spain dazzled with their style of play in Austria and Switzerland two years ago and are looking to become just the second side in history – after West Germany in 1972 and 1974 – to lift the World Cup on the back of success in the European Championship. Del Bosque, though, is quick to dismiss the notion they are overriding favourites.

"We're playing against a rival who deserve to be here," he said. "It will be a game between two sides who have quality players and play nice football. The two teams are almost identical in terms of the style they play. I think the Netherlands have a predetermined style and they won't change when they face us."

Something, though, will have to give with one country set to become the eighth winners of the global football championship, and one forced to wait at least another four years to break their duck.

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Uruguay-Germany 2-3

Khedira kills off Uruguay resistance

Published: Saturday 10 July 2010, 21.15CET

Uruguay 2-3 Germany

Both sides held the lead in an enterprising game before Sami Khedira's late header assured the three-time winners of third place.

Three-time FIFA World Cup winners Germany came from behind to prevail 3-2 against Uruguay in the third place play-off in Port Elizabeth.

Joachim Löw's side initially took the lead in the battle of the beaten semi-finalists but Thomas Müller's close-range strike was swiftly cancelled out by Edinson Cavani. Diego Forlán's superb volley put Uruguay in the ascendancy and drew him level on five goals with Müller, David Villa and Wesley Sneijder in the race to be top scorer, but Marcell Jansen equalised before Sami Khedira finally decided matters with an 82nd-minute header.

Germany had swiftly made up for their lack of possession against Spain and almost went ahead just ten minutes in, Arne Friedrich heading Mesut Özil's corner against the bar. They did go in front nine minutes later, though, when Fernando Muslera parried Bastian Schweinsteiger's long-range shot, Müller stroking in the rebound.

Uruguay looked bereft of inspiration before sparking into life on 28 minutes when Schweinsteiger was uncharacteristically dispossessed. The ball found its way to Luis Suárez and the AFC Ajax striker laid on a perfectly weighted pass which Cavani consummately slipped past Jörg Butt. Suárez himself was less precise either side of half-time, firstly snatching at his shot when through on goal before then being denied by Butt. His strike partner, Forlán, was far more clinical on 51 minutes, showing exquisite technique to volley in Egidio Arévalo's cross from the edge of the penalty area.

Parity was soon restored again, however, Jansen heading in at the back post from an inviting Jérôme Boateng cross from the right. Butt again kept out Suárez soon after and it was a stop that proved decisive because, with eight minutes left, Uruguay failed to deal with a corner and the ball popped up to Khedira, who adroitly sent a header looping over Muslera. Forlán so nearly had the final word but hit the bar from a free-kick which proved to be the last act of a pulsating match.

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Netherlands hold firm to reach final

Published: Tuesday 6 July 2010, 22.15CET

Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben were all on target as the Dutch reached a first final since 1978.

Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands (Highlights)

The Netherlands reached the FIFA World Cup final for the first time since 1978, goals from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben seeing off a determined Uruguay in Cape Town.

Uruguay had won three of the sides' previous four meetings but it was their opponents who struck first, captain Van Bronckhorst marking his 105th international appearance with an unstoppable drive from long range in the 18th minute. Uruguay, champions in 1930 and 1950, swiftly regrouped and responded with a goal from distance of their own through Diego Forlán shortly before half-time. Both teams had chances in the third quarter of the match, but goals in the final 20 minutes from Sneijder and Robben sent the Oranje into a final against Germany or Spain in Johannesburg on Sunday despite Maxi Pereira's added-time effort.

In their first semi-final since 1998, the Netherlands began the brighter, Dirk Kuyt shooting too high following a fourth-minute corner. Both teams had chances to launch promising attacks in an open start, but when the first goal arrived it came out of the blue. The Netherlands worked the ball to Van Bronckhorst and the left-back let fly from more than 35 metres out, his unstoppable effort leaving Fernando Muslera clutching at air and finding the top corner.

Only a superbly-timed challenge from Martín Cáceres on Robben prevented Bert van Marwijk's team from doubling their lead, and Uruguay promptly threatened a goal of their own. Only the sheer weight of numbers prevented Edinson Cavani's cross reaching Forlán, who headed just wide moments later, yet there was to be no denying the Club Atlético de Madrid striker five minutes before half-time. A thunderous left-foot shot from range escaped Maarten Stekelenburg for Forlán's fourth goal of the finals to level the scores.

Van Bronckhorst then headed Álvaro Pereira's shot off the line with Stekelenburg stranded before the goalkeeper dived to his right to push away Forlán's curling free-kick. At the other end, Muslera was equal to a low effort from substitute Rafael van der Vaart, yet he was powerless to keep out Sneijder's deflected low effort from the edge of the penalty area 20 minutes from time.

The Netherlands – who won all eight qualifying games and now all six of their matches in South Africa – made the game safe three minutes later, Robben heading in Kuyt's inviting cross, although they were made to endure a tense finale after Maxi Pereira finished off a well-worked free-kick two minutes into added time. The Dutch held firm to earn the chance to at last consign their defeats in the 1974 and 1978 finals to history.

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