Conclusion
Figured I'd type it out now before it all fades to a memory...
Final of the World Cup just ended a little while ago, Netherlands vs Spain.
Going into it, I had a feeling Spain was going to win; they had a really solid team...nobody really stood out more than anyone else on their team, and they came together, their ball keeping and passing was one of the best I'd ever seen...
They had to play past at least two teams that had iron defenses (Paraguay and Portugal), and managed to win both games 1-0.
First, I'll start off by saying that this was one of the ugliest matches I've seen in the World Cup. Yesterday's third place deciding game (which went to Germany while Uruguay took fourth; Muller is an excellent player for Germany, though you gotta sorta feel bad for Swarez, who had gotten a red card against the Ghana team with a deliberate hand ball to prevent a goal that would have given Ghana the win. The guy was booed every single time he got the ball...a lil excessive. Sure, I didn't approve of the way Uruguay played with their play-acting on injuries and pulling for fouls, but it was a bit excessive to boo the guy, since his red card had given Ghana a penalty shot that gave them just as much opportunity to win the game, and it hit the bar.)
ANYWAYS...
Fouls all over the place, about 8 yellow cards (I lost count after that) for the Dutch team alone, nevermind the 3 or so that Spain got (though, they played a pretty clean game; it was mostly the Netherlands that were fouling left and right).
Robben got himself booked for arguing with the ref, and so did someone else in the latter 15 minutes of extra time (they went into a 120 minute game since the score was 0-0 by the end of 90 minutes. In fact, Spain didn't score until the 117 minute mark or so).
I was wondering who would be the first player to walk off the field with a red card starting from just the first half of the game (that's how bad it was, compared to the Uruguay vs Germany for 3rd place which was one of the cleanest games I've ever seen, particularly considering Uruguay's track record of pulling fouls).
No actual straight red card was given, but a Netherlands player got their second yellow at around the 107 minute mark, and since two yellows equals a red, he was off the field.
The goal itself was amazing; Netherlands argued for off-sides, but the Spanish player was clearly on-side, and put it in on a bounce.
The goal keeper for the Spain team is the team captain, and he was crying in joy; both when the goal was scored, and when the final whistle blew. It was amazing to watch the ceremony as the trophy was awarded to Spain (and one very pissed Netherlands coach, who pulled off his runner-up medal almost as soon as it was put on).
I actually felt the emotions as I watched the award ceremony...it was touching to the point of tears, I must admit.
It wasn't a very clean match, but the stronger team won. They deserved the win.
"The strong one doesn’t win. The one who wins is strong."
Said by soccer/football player, Franz Beckenbauer. He couldn't be more correct. The Netherlands went to powerhouse through it, pushing and shoving and fouling, using their size...
Yet, Spain kept up and put up with it, and continued on.
Well played, indeed.
Final of the World Cup just ended a little while ago, Netherlands vs Spain.
Going into it, I had a feeling Spain was going to win; they had a really solid team...nobody really stood out more than anyone else on their team, and they came together, their ball keeping and passing was one of the best I'd ever seen...
They had to play past at least two teams that had iron defenses (Paraguay and Portugal), and managed to win both games 1-0.
First, I'll start off by saying that this was one of the ugliest matches I've seen in the World Cup. Yesterday's third place deciding game (which went to Germany while Uruguay took fourth; Muller is an excellent player for Germany, though you gotta sorta feel bad for Swarez, who had gotten a red card against the Ghana team with a deliberate hand ball to prevent a goal that would have given Ghana the win. The guy was booed every single time he got the ball...a lil excessive. Sure, I didn't approve of the way Uruguay played with their play-acting on injuries and pulling for fouls, but it was a bit excessive to boo the guy, since his red card had given Ghana a penalty shot that gave them just as much opportunity to win the game, and it hit the bar.)
ANYWAYS...
Fouls all over the place, about 8 yellow cards (I lost count after that) for the Dutch team alone, nevermind the 3 or so that Spain got (though, they played a pretty clean game; it was mostly the Netherlands that were fouling left and right).
Robben got himself booked for arguing with the ref, and so did someone else in the latter 15 minutes of extra time (they went into a 120 minute game since the score was 0-0 by the end of 90 minutes. In fact, Spain didn't score until the 117 minute mark or so).
I was wondering who would be the first player to walk off the field with a red card starting from just the first half of the game (that's how bad it was, compared to the Uruguay vs Germany for 3rd place which was one of the cleanest games I've ever seen, particularly considering Uruguay's track record of pulling fouls).
No actual straight red card was given, but a Netherlands player got their second yellow at around the 107 minute mark, and since two yellows equals a red, he was off the field.
The goal itself was amazing; Netherlands argued for off-sides, but the Spanish player was clearly on-side, and put it in on a bounce.
The goal keeper for the Spain team is the team captain, and he was crying in joy; both when the goal was scored, and when the final whistle blew. It was amazing to watch the ceremony as the trophy was awarded to Spain (and one very pissed Netherlands coach, who pulled off his runner-up medal almost as soon as it was put on).
I actually felt the emotions as I watched the award ceremony...it was touching to the point of tears, I must admit.
It wasn't a very clean match, but the stronger team won. They deserved the win.
"The strong one doesn’t win. The one who wins is strong."
Said by soccer/football player, Franz Beckenbauer. He couldn't be more correct. The Netherlands went to powerhouse through it, pushing and shoving and fouling, using their size...
Yet, Spain kept up and put up with it, and continued on.
Well played, indeed.