crackerjack
Well-known member
van bommel has been disgraceful this world cup
there are 3 unnecessary words in that sentence
van bommel has been disgraceful this world cup
there are 3 unnecessary words in that sentence
The best team won.
As a spectacle, it was gruesome, the ugliest of all World Cup finals, but, on a night when the good name of Dutch football was besmirched by a display of thuggery, justice was done with four minutes remaining in extra time as Andrés Iniesta secured a much-needed victory for the sport as well as a joyous Spanish nation.
Anti-football 0 Football 1. Some might take issue with that, saying that football was the loser, because both teams showed the worst aspects of their game and Howard Webb, the English referee, flourished his yellow card 14 times and the red card once, to John Heitinga in extra time after a second bookable offence.
However, had this final ended with anything but a Spain victory, the damage to the sport’s image might have been far greater.
Iniesta deserves more than the gratitude of a nation. Had Holland won, it would have been an insult to the game and, although it would not have felt that way to the orange-clad hordes at Soccer City, to the proud tradition of the nation that pioneered “total football” and produced players such as Cruyff, Neeskens, Gullit, Van Basten and Bergkamp.
Their defeats in previous finals, in 1974 and 1978, are mourned to this day, but this third loss should be celebrated since it denied Holland the peculiar feat of boasting the least loved of all world champions as well as the most loved of runners-up.
Bert van Marwijk, the Holland coach, appeared a little apologetic when he said that it was “not our style to commit horrible fouls”, but his team’s approach, led by Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong, his clogs of war, seemed rather deliberate.
i really enjoyed it. i thought the dutch were fantastic. they really made a fight of it. not easy to do when facing a truly brilliant team. the commentators here seemed to think holland had a moral obligation to lie down and let spain play beautfiful football. thats nonsense. i like to see a competition. spain were worthy winners but were made to fight for it and thats how it should be in a final. well done to both teams. i enjoyed every minute.
De Jong should have been sent off, but then so should have Puyol.
Spain conceded only two goals in the tournament. When Italy did that in 2006, it was hailed as defensive geniuses. Fabio Cannavaro even won the Balón d'Or off the back of the success. According to the Castrol index, which combines a series of statistical measures to rank a player's performance, Sergio Ramos has the tournament's best ranking. In fact, Spain's back four are the tournament's top four. And that's despite the fact that in its approach Spain has not been a defensive side; as argued before the final, it has been a controlling one.
Even Holland's muscular, at times plain brutal approach did not -- in the end -- prevent Spain from adding the world title to its European one. In virtually every game it was confronted not by sides that sought to play but to prevent Spain from playing. In every game, Spain has sought goals. Without haste, without anxiety and without urgency, perhaps. But it has sought them. Spain might not have been quite as dazzling as some hoped, not quite as creative, not quite as much of a fantasy soccer team as some demanded, but it has -- in its own way -- dominated this World Cup.
Before the final, Jesús Navas had delivered more balls into the box than any other player at the tournament despite playing only 118 minutes, while Xavi had provided 25 goal scoring chances -- eight more than anyone else. Spain led in attacks -- more than 20 clear of No. 2 Germany and No. 3 Brazil. The Spanish ranked first in shots, solo runs and passes (more than 1,500 more, in fact), and they had the best pass-completion rate. No side averaged as many passes as Spain in 16 years.
Meanwhile, only Germany and Uruguay covered a greater distance and, before Sunday's war, which Spain largely handled impressively, only Korea had collected fewer cards.
In every game, Spain had more shots on target and more possession than its opponents -- including the opening-game defeat that could be written off as a freak result, with an 8-to-3 advantage in shots on goal and 63 percent of the ball. Only Chile had as many shots overall against Spain -- 9 each, but with fewer on target -- in the competition. Spain had 19 (10 on target) to Portugal's 9 (3); 16 (9) to Paraguay's 9 (4); and 13 (5) to Germany's 5 (2). In the final, Spain had 56 percent of possession and 18 shots to Holland's 13 ...
Possibly, though Puyol for a tiny tugback that made a chance into a half chance, De Jong for an act of wanton violence that would've landed him in jail if it had happened off the pitch.
De Jong should have been sent off, but then so should have Puyol.
No wonder that footballers dive all the time - if they don't, refs refuse to give the foul.
Was good to see Spain play more directly.
"I was on a date last night and my companion asked me if I wanted to 'go Dutch' on a restaurant bill. So I raked my studs down her chest, harangued the maître d' and then left in tears" - Bill Chilton.