Spain beat Holland 1-0 to win World Cup

JOHANNESBURG: Spain won the World Cup for the first time on Sunday, Andres Iniesta netting in extra-time to see off Holland 1-0 in Johannesburg and hand the Dutch their third final loss.

With just four minutes of extra-time remaining, substitute Fernando Torres slid over a cross from the left which was partially cleared as far as Cesc Fabregas and his pass found Iniesta lurking in the area.

The Barcelona star promptly set his sights and fired past Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Five minutes earlier, the Dutch were down to 10 men when referee Howard Webb red-carded John Heitinga for a foul on Iniesta.

A niggly game saw a proliferation of yellow cards and missed chances at both ends – most notably in the first period of extra-time when Spanish substitute Fabregas raced onto a pass from Iniesta only to see Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg block his shot.

Then fellow substitute Jesus Navas looked odds on to score but his shot deflected off Giovanni van Bronckhorst and hit the side-netting.

Dutch and Spain go into extra time at 0-0

JOHANNESBURG: The all-European World Cup final between Netherlands and Spain went into extra time on Sunday with the score level at 0-0 in a bruising encounter.

European champions Spain looked the more assured early on in the clash at Soccer City as a nervous-looking Dutch side ceded territory to their slick opponents.

Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg was forced into a diving save after five minutes when Sergio Ramos headed a Xavi cross goalwards while Spain forward David Villa crashed a volley into the side netting with the goal looming.

However, a series of free kicks and bookings, including two strong challenges by Dutch midfield enforcers Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel, shook Spain out of their rhythm.

The Netherlands battling approach meant the Spanish were unable to reproduce the swift-passing possession football that got them to the final.

The Dutch offered little in attack and the nearest they came to a first-half goal was a bizarre incident after 38 minutes when Gregory van der Wiel attempted to give the ball back in an act of sportsmanship.

The fullback”s 60-metre punt bounced up and over Spain captain Iker Casillas, forcing the startled keeper to leap and tip it to safety.

The game continued in the same deadlocked vein after the break, with frequent stoppages and few chances, until Wesley Sneijder split the Spanish defence with a perfectly-weighted ball into the path of Arjen Robben after 62 minutes.

The winger bore down on Casillas and must have thought he had scored when he sent him the wrong way with a low shot but the keeper stuck out a leg and diverted the ball to safety.

Spain then began to take control, moving the ball forward more quickly and created two good chances.

First, a cross by lively substitute Jesus Navas reached Villa at the far post but his shot was blocked on the line, and then Ramos headed wildly over the bar from five metres out after being left unmarked at a corner.

Neither team has won the World Cup before though the Dutch are playing in their third final.

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