THE CHAMPIONS

The tension was palpable as the players walked out of the tunnel onto the arena at the Soccer City in Jo'burg. 80,000 plus spectators and millions of viewers across the globe watched, as the drone of the vuvuzela rose above the pitch setting the scene for the final battle,one of epic proportions in every sense as the Oranjes took on the La Furia Roja!

This the World Cup of many firsts was all set to crown a first time champion in it's 19th edition!
The journey thus far had been challenging for both teams.

The Dutch came into the tournament on the high of an unblemished qualifying campaign. Some of their biggest stars were in prime form following successful seasons at the club level. The early part of the tournament saw them put in impressive performances. But the eternal dark horses came into their own when they delivered a knock out punch to the Samba Boys. coming from behind they showed their grit and mettle, to send a shock wave across the planet. The world had final awoken to the real threat the Oranjes posed!
European Champions Spain on the other hand had a mixed bag. Their qualifying campaign had been spotless, but they came into the tournament with injury worries to some of the key players, hitman Fernando Torres and creative midfielder Francesc Fabregas to name a few. With an opening loss to Switzerland and an inability to deliver in front of the goal, it was only in the semi final against Germany did they come into their own.
So the question on every one's mind was :Would it be the beautiful tika-taka of the Spaniards or the efficient, tough tackling of the Dutchmen?

As the game kicked off, all the action seemed to emanate from policeman Webb. A flurry of fowls saw the referee, Webb brandish card after card as the Dutch attempted to emphasize their physical prowess and stifle their opponents free flowing game. And so they did, as the usually sublime Spaniards found it difficult to string the passes together. This therefore meant that they had to rely more on the set pieces. Opportunities were few and far between and the notable chances fell to effervescent right back Sergio Ramos who seemed to have come with no intention but to wreck havoc amongst the Dutch ranks. David Villa also got a look in, but the real deal fell to Dutch playmaker Arjen Robben, who latched onto a through ball from Wesley Sneijder but couldn't keep his composure when faced by Iker Casillas in front of the Spanish post.Subsequently Robben got another golden opportunity when he darted forwards capitalising on his speed and agility. He almost seemed to have the first break of the match, buy yet again, the finish was poor. The Spanish defending in this case was questionable though, with Puyol tugging at Robben.
But as the match unravelled, it was less of a thriller in terms of goals and oppurtunities but more of a tactical one where the two mid fields battled to assert supremacy. Having studied each other's game closely, this comprised of smaller battles... Robben's pace vs Puyol's experience, van Bommel attempting to curb Spanish passes and Xavi, and Heitinga, Mathijsen patrolling the area to stem any dazzling pieces of play from Villa, Pedro and Iniesta!
In the latter stages along came the substitutions with the Spanish changes seeming to have a more conspicuous effect. Navas infused new life into the game, yet the deadlock wan't shattered!As the game crept into extra time,super sub- Cesc Fabregas came close to scoring twice!
Finally 116 fiercly contested and at times ugly minutes later, Andres Iniesta shot a precise Fabregas pass into the back of the net.
Yet another 1-0 victory for this Spanish team, and the coveted, long awaited title was their's.

Despite not being prolific scorers, the Spanish had undoubtedly stamped their brand of football on the tournament. And despite a less than stellar finale, the new champions were both deserving and hugely popular winners!

And on the night of the 11th of July, 2010 as fireworks lit the sky and the streets were painted in the red and gold of the Spanish armada, Iker Casillas rose to lift the Golden trophy and for the very first time in history, Espana were befittingly crowned 'Campeones del Mundo'!