KUDOS to La Furia Roja for keeping their composure amidst the hard,crunching tackles of the Oranje. it was obvious from the start that the Dutch intended to stifle the midfield players of Spain in any manner possible. as the pundits say, if you get past Van Bommel, de Jong will take you out and vice versa.
Spain outplayed the Dutch in the tactical department, they maintained their quick short passes while the Dutch were reduced to counter attacks. Sneijder wasnt able to impose his mark in midfield.
Robben should have done better with his two one-on-one opportunities, altho in the second one, he had valid plea coz Puyol wrapped his arms around him and didnt get a 2nd card while Heitinga got a 2nd card when he merely tapped Iniesta's shoulder in extra time. both events were goal-scoring opportunities. perhaps the ref's positioning was a key factor.
one thing i didnt understand with the dutch coach though is why he didnt replace Van Persie, it was obvious that Van Persie wasnt disturbing the Spanish defense. perhaps Huntelaar couldve done better. Elia wasnt a factor either. perhaps Afellay or Babel was the better sub.
all in all, it was a match where the nerves took a long time to settle, which was understandable considering that it was gonna be the first time that the either Spain or Holland would win a World Cup. not a classic match really but still a good one. CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO LA FURIA ROJA, EUROPEAN AND NOW WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!
