Match 64 (Final) - Netherlands v Spain - Post-Match Thread [R]

Because he made some inconsistent decisions that seemed to favor diving over hacking and he patently blew an obvious corner kick decision that led directly to Spain's goal. Both hacking (Dutch) and diving (Spain) are repugnant to real fans of the game, btw, and the fact that the teams resorted to such tactics just adds to my disappointment with this Final. South Africa deserved better.

 

I will repeat what I said at halftime: this was a game between the best short passing team in the world and the best hacking side. In light of that combination, it is not entirely surprising that the game wasn't all that entertaining.

The Dutch to me were quite negative. Their tactic was to put 9 players behind the ball and look for counter attacks via Robben. They did create some excellent chances that way, but what made them undeserving was the fact that from the beginning, they resorted to hacking to break the flow in Spain's game. In the process, they sometimes exhibited better karate moves than those you look for in football.

Spain, on the other hand, oozes with talent but it shouldn't always take a dozen passes to move the ball into the opponent's box. The Spaniards should be proud of their tiki taka, but IMO they would be better served if they occasionally also looked for easier, quicker, and more direct ways to the opponent's goal. I say this merely because I believe it would be a shame if a side with Spain's talent had lost to a Dutch team that is a far cry from the Orange of years past that had won over so many fans, but they could have ended up even losing this match if Robben had finished one of his chances.

Anyway, my heartfelt congratulations to Spain. They were a far more deserving champion than their opponent.

 

What about Karate Kid De Jong? .Only in the first part ,two duch players should have sent off. About the level of this world cup , it has been better that Korea-Japan 2002 , Germany 2006 or Italy 1990. Argentina team of 1990 was the worst team i have seen in a final in my life.

 

Ninja de Jong, at his best:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNp2Ch_5nxM"]YouTube- Nigel De Jong Vs Xabi Alonso Kung Fu Fighting[/ame]

The guy is purely a cynical card machine. He makes our old friend Mastroeni look like a clean tackler. Even van Bommel looks as if he thought that was too much!

 

thanks for saying that .... as an American fan who watched De Jong break the ankle of Stu Holden in a friendly match back in November ... he is a disgrace to the sport and I dont know how he continues to get away with playing like a criminal.

 

... as a neutral, I think it was a fully deserved win... Congrats to Spain

 

I'll say it again the best team won. Finesse and football over fouling and thuggery. Well done Spain.

 

Love the conspiracy theories. LOL.

Meh. Spain won. More power to them. I thought the Dutch played a horrible style. Great for an MMA tournament, but lousy for football. Spain isn't a side I much appreciate either. But I am glad it was decided in OT and didn't go to Penalties.

 

More than for the final, this World Cup is likely to be remembered as the birth of one of the greats: Thomas Müller.

And Spain did derseve the win, in this ugly game. In the end, it was Van der Vaart who let Iniesta loose and onside.

I hope I can see the Dutch win a WC in my life time. The last great team to have never won. But today, they didn't play like they really believed they could do it.

 

116' 0-1 #22 Jesús Navas runs leftward at 37m left arc (6.5 mowed stripes), passes inside-out to #9 Fernando Torres, with 2 Dutch defenders retreating, and #6 Andrés Iniesta lurking up the centerline, and watching their feet to keep himself onside.

Torres settles with back to goal at 29m (5.5 mowed stripes) slightly wide of box left, then **********foots to 27.5m wide left (exactly 5 stripes). #10 Cesc Fábregas overlaps ahead of Torres, to box top arc left.

Torres curls a shoulder-high cross toward 16m center. Replay shows that Iniesta times this pass perfectly, and is even with the CB-R at this instant. Iniesta goes through box top center, but the CB-L spins a half-circle, extends his right leg waist-high, and awkwardly scorpion-kicks the pass out, blocking it leftward across box top.

#10 Cesc Fábregas reacts first, comes left-to-right and collects at box top arc left. For a split-second, Iniesta was in an offside position, but he saw that, too, and immediately retreats a full stride onside, just inside box top. One defender steps up too far to close down Fábregas, and two others do not. At the instant of Fábregas's pass, both defenders are keeping Iniesta onside by one full stride.

Iniesta plays himself in behind them, and finishes. Spain touched the ball forward three times in this sequence, and they were onside all three times.

 

Just when I thought England's performance at WC2010 couldn't get worse ... it did.

Howard Webb - MOTM

 

It's a fully deserved victory, Holland only presented fouls and counterattacks to win. Nothing else.

Spain dominated the game and stand still against a very dirty team.

 

The thing the made this match wasn't the refereeing decisions, or the heavily marked style of play that the match devolved to at times.

No, it was the ridiculous amount of missed chances from both sides that made this match. I've seen matches where one team keeps on missing, but seeing both teams miss sitter after sitter was an amazing sight in its own right.

 

Right on. Iniesta was offside on the initial cross, but did not play the ball as it was headed away. Everything after the half clearance was onside. Clean, lovely goal.

 

This is stupid. The difference between the teams was miniscule. If Puyol is sent off with Yellow2 on Robben breakaway ... if Robben converts the earlier one-v-one. The match was hanging in the balance with chances quite even until extra time.

 

ever seen US Open pressure with 2 foot putts missed in the last few holes to choke?

how about Vandeveldes crumbling at the British Open a few years back .... they missed the sitters because of pressure ....

he is one for you - why did Robben not just casually chip Casillas? Pressure.

 

fyp.

 

They are a mostly dismal and dirty side...they're the new Uruguay.

 

I really don't know how anyone can say Spain was the better team this WC, none of their games were exciting nor did they score a lot of goals. Their games are mostly only talked about because of dubious refereeing calls, certainly not because of their beautiful football or amazing goals. Tonight's game was sh*t compared to let's say Germany vs Uruguay, 2 teams that in my opinion were MILES better than Spain this WC.

 

qft

 

Blah blah blah.

Most agree De Jong deserved a red in the first half. You guys really think the Netherlands could have defeated Spain when down to only 10 that early? The rest of this would all be moot, not to mention that you cannot assume the game would have proceeded as it did with only 10 men for the duration of the game.

I wanted the Netherlands to win this game. They came in and played like hacks rather than the exciting, creative team they had been up until that time. Very disappointing. They have only themselves to blame.

 

are you nuts? The Ref called a good game in view of the dirty tactics from the Dutch players.Tried to keep the game flowing but there was no way he could with the disgusting fouls.
Congrats to Spain ,Shame on some of the Dutch players.

 

Nice post. You put that very clearly and eloquently. The dutch played hackball...not futball. If they had played futball we might have had a different result.

 

Paul is 2.5 years old, and octopuses of his species seldom live longer than three years. So it's not his birth, it's more like his farewell. Chances are he'll be dead before the Club World Championship is played.

But yeah, Paul is now up there with Jane Dixon, Malachi and Nostradamus.