IKER CASILLAS last night placed his hands on the crock of gold at the end of the Rainbow Nation and lifted the World Cup.
Spain didn't just win the biggest prize in the game for the first time here in Johannesburg, they won the hearts of football fans everywhere with a dramatic extra-time winner against the disgraceful Dutch.
The World Cup weighs just 12 pounds but it's worth to Spanish football is priceless as Vicente del Bosque becomes only the second boss after Marcello Lippi to win it and the European Championship.
This was a victory for the beaut i ful game against the 18-carat cynicism of the Dutch in a city founded on gold mines.
Bert van Marwijk's side spat and snarled and tried to kick their way to a success, making a mockery of the memory of their countrymen from 1974 and 1978.
This was third time unlucky at this level for the Oranje, who gave so much to the competition - until last night. The defeat was their first in 25 matches but there would have been few tears shed for them outwith the bars and coffee shops of their own nation.
Holland did not believe in their own talents as much as they believed in their need to boot Spain out of their stride and they will now wonder how well they might have done had they stood toe to toe instead.The names of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens will forever be revered but it will be a long time, if ever, before the class of 2010 are forgiven for adopting such tactics of crass brutality.
They had nine players booked and Johnny Heitinga sent off against four yellow cards for Spain and if there was a degree of good fortune surrounding the winner four minutes from the end from Andres Iniesta then justice was done.
The Dutch crowded English ref Howard Webb, whose focus went before the end of 90 minutes as he missed a series of big calls for both sides.Mark van Bommel, the most disgraceful of them all, led the bitter appeals as he insisted Iniesta was offside at the start of the move that finally saw him bury the only goal of the game.
They had a point but only among the Dutch fans because the World Cup has the winner it deserves.
Fireworks popped off Soccer City as the Spanish players danced but the noise will be nothing compared with the voices in the head of van Marwijk telling him he should have ordered his side to approach the game differently.
Spain are the first team since West Germany in 1974 to add the World Cup to the European Championship they won in 2008 and they became the first side from Europe to triumph in the competition outside the continent in nine attempts.
They were unlucky not to grab the lead after five minutes when Sergio Ramos met a free-kick from Xavi but his header from eight yards was beaten away by keeper Maarten Stekelenberg.
The Dutch were nervous and decided to clog their way back and Robin van Persie went in heavily on Joan Capdevila and van Bommel scythed into Iniesta from behind and was lucky to join his team-mate in seeing only yellow.
The worst tackle of all came in 28 minutes when Nigel de Jong went in with a chest-high boot on Xabi Alonso and was lucky only to be cautioned by Webb when he should have walked.
Arjen Robben almost popped up with an opener in first-half injury time when he cut in from the right on to his favoured left foot but Casillas pushed his shot from 18 yards past a post.
The brutal antics of the Dutch continued after the break when Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Heitinga were cautioned for fouls on Ramos and David Villa.
In 61 minutes Robben was presented with the game's best chance when Wesley Sneijder sprung him free of the Spanish rearguard between Gerard Pique and Ramos.
Robben, one on one, picked his spot from 16 yards but Casillas stuck out his right boot to divert his effort away for a corner.
The game opened up like a reluctant mussel in the tank of Paul the Octopus and another boot kept the score goalless.
Defender Heitinga allowed a low cross from sub Jesus Navas to squirm through his legs on the six-yard line and Villa looked set to accept the gift but the Everton star recovered to stick out a size 11 and divert his shot to safety.
Villa played a clever one-two with Xavi but Gregory van der Wiel slid in to block.
Xavi's resulting corner was a copy of the set-piece from which Puyol had scored in the semi but this time it dropped on to the head of Ramos, unchallenged, who somehow failed even to hit the target as his nodded effort sailed over from 10 yards.
Knocked
In 84 minutes Robben became the sixth Dutch player to be booked but it was impossible not to feel sorry for him.
He sprinted clear of Carles Puyol to latch on to a van Persie header off a de Jong punt and the Barca defender appeared to wrap an arm around his waist.
Webb didn't see what should have been a second yellow-card of fence for Puyol and his interference knocked Robben off his stride as Casillas rushed from his line to gather the ball from his toes.
Sub Cesc Fabregas then passed up a great opportunity when he was played through by Iniesta but Stekelenberg blocked his shot with a leg, with Villa screaming for the pass inside.
Fabregas almost paid for his greed as the Dutch went up the pitch and won a corner that was nodded over by Joris Mathijsen.
The Spanish didn't fancy taking the game to spot-kicks and it needed a last-gasp tackle from van Bronckhorst to deny Iniesta, who dithered before thinking about a shot.
The Dutch skipper stuck out a leg moments later to make another crucial intervention as he forced a shot from Navas into the side net and Fabregas again went close after a mazy run.
Van Bronckhorst's pro career ended when he hobbled off to be replaced by Edson Braafheid, still listed on the official team sheet as a Celtic player. Del Bosque then hauled off Villa and replaced him with Fernando Torres, denying the Barcelona new boy his chance to win the Golden Boot.
It was only a matter of time before Webb f lashed a red card and it duly arrived four minutes into the second period of extra time.
Heitinga, cautioned earlier for a foul on Villa, tugged at the shoulder of Iniesta as he burst towards the box after a clever lob over the top by Xavi..
Four minutes from time Spain snatched the winner.
However, goal hero Iniesta had cause to thank far side assistant Michael Mullarkey after he failed to flag for offside when Torres attempted to clip him clear on the right.
His ball was blocked by a defender but the flag should still have been raised as the Spanish midfielder sought to gain an advantage from the situation.
However, it stayed down and when the ball was played back in, the Barcelona star buried a volley behind Stekelenberg.
MATCH STATS
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