Spain, one of footballs’s most reliable failures, turns the corner by beating Holland to win its first World Cup

Few predictions for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa left Spain out as one of the favourites for the title. Even then, there were sneaking–quite well founded–doubts over their capacity to pull it off. In the past, they had flattered to deceive, regularly tripping up despite producing some of the game’s most accomplished performers. Almost every football follower could trust them to be unreliable.

But two years ago in Vienna, Austria, Spain won their first major honour for 44 years, when they claimed the European Championship. It was a victory achieved through the deployment of the game’s more delicate arts–fluid passing and relentless movement. They simply confiscated the ball and passed it round in a way that thrilled the game’s public galled opponents. Many salivated at the prospect of watching them in South Africa. But being Spain, they managed to trip up in their first game against Switzerland losing 0-1. The old doubts resurfaced. Spain’s other games in the group stage against Chile and Honduras were won 2-1 and 2-0 respectively to ensure progress into the second round, where they beat Portugal 1-0. In each of the games, the opponents were obdurate. Such obduracy meant Spain had to rely on their superior technique as much as a copious expenditure of sweat. The romp many imagined would characterise their play was evident, but yielded precious few goals. The situation was the same against Paraguay, who they beat 1-0 in the quarter-final and were rewarded with a semi-final clash with the young, but impressive Germany. The Germans, like others, also opted to stifle Spain. But they were in exhilarating form, beating Germany 1-0 after missing a string of chances. Their measly goal haul raised doubts that they were ready to do the business.

But on 11 July in Johannesburg, Spain buried the ghosts of past failures, beating Holland–another nation that frequently promises much but delivers little–to win the World Cup. The final was feverishly advertised as the dream match because Holland’s tradition for seductive football has few peers. The match, however, was a toxic 120-minute affair.

Mayhem reigned, but the glory rightfully went to Spain, prevailing over opponents that were reduced to 10 men when English referee, Howard Webb, eventually expelled defender John Heitinga with a second caution on 109 minutes. Cesc Fabregas, playing as a substitute, fed Andres Iniesta to score the winner seven minutes later.

Holland had been criticised prior to the final, but the events in the match were on a totally different scale. The Dutch got seven bookings, excluding Heitinga’s brace. Spain’s count rose to five with late cautions for Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta.

Revolting as the events were, Spanish talent showed as they created and misused a number of opportunities, particularly in extra-time. It was a feature of their game throughout the finals.

But it would be inaccurate to state that the Dutch devoted themselves entirely to illegality and, in the 82nd minute, Arjen Robben was denied by an Iker Casillas save at his feet. However, there is no denying that Spain were worthy victors. Whatever debate that arose might have had no validity if they had scored earlier. As results showed, goalscoring was their major. Right full-back Sergio Ramos, for instance, put a free header high from a corner kick in the 77th minute. The side’s profligacy was also glaring in extra-time. Earlier, in the fourth minute, he had been foiled by Maarten Stekelenburg in the Holland goal.

Yet, they could be excused for any sense of disorientation. The nastiness in the match was a huge hindrance for Spain, who would have anticipated a different type of game, something similar to their own style that is based on supreme midfield artistry. The downside lies in the fact that possession, often, tended to be an end. That was pretty evident in virtually all of their games against opponents who sat back and ensured that Spain endured frustration in industrial quantities.

There were suspicions that the Dutch would be much less obliging than the young Germany side that lost to Spain in the semi-final. Such were proved right–often illegally–by the Dutch, who seemed very much at peace making enemies. Holland midfielder, Mark Van Bommel escaped what seemed a red card before the interval. Four cautions in the opening 22 minutes did not calm things down, particularly for the Dutch who seemed minded to cause anarchy.

Nigel De Jong delivered a karate kick to the chest of Spain’s Xabi Alonso, but got away with a booking. The finer aspects of open play were generally overshadowed. Spain were more refined, but the final hardly sparkled. Whatever instructions the players got at the interval did not result in a change of ways. Before an hour was completed, the referee had found it necessary to caution Holland’s Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

In the 62nd minute, Holland almost went ahead, when Wesley Sneijder produced a sweet pass that put Arjen Robben clear of Spain’s defence. But the winger was foiled by Casillas’ outsretched right leg. That encouraged the Dutch to try more, but failed to halt their wildness. The referee had to keep reaching for his yellow card. Only three players from the Holland starting line-up were not cautioned: Stekelenburg, Dirk Kuyt and Sneijder.

Dutch great, Johann Cruyff described his country’s approach to the final as vulgar. “Sadly, they played very dirty. So much so that they should have been down to nine immediately, then they made two (such) ugly and hard tackles that even I felt the damage.

“Holland chose an ugly path to aim for the title. This ugly, vulgar, hard, hermetic, hardly eye-catching, hardly football style, yes it served the Dutch to unsettle Spain. If with this they got satisfaction, fine, but they ended up losing. They were playing anti-football,” said Cruyff.

Holland striker, Dirk Kuyt, justified the team’s betrayal of the country’s football culture. “We are playing in the World Cup final and we want to win it. You try everything because you know what is at stake. I think we had maybe two or three bad tackles and far more yellow cards than we deserved,” he said.

Most of the players blamed the referee for their loss. “He has robbed us,” said Sneijder who was angered by the referee’s failure to award Holland a corner shortly before Iniesta scored.

“This is a disgrace to football. It shouldn’t have happened. First, I shot a free-kick that hit the wall and then the Spanish keeper touched it before going behind. What does the referee do? The whistle was not for a corner, but a goal-kick. In the following attack, Iniesta is at first offside. Webb doesn’t whistle and then Iniesta gets a goal.”

However, most observers reckoned that Holland were suitably punished for their thuggery as well as negative tactics.

—Seun Bisuga