The final turned out to be a battle of one great team and a not-so-great one, with the emphasis on battle. A flurry of yellows decorated a pretty brutal match and it came as no surprise when the cherry on top was, well, a red cherry for Heitinga’s second bookable offence. A dismissal always felt a formality contingent only on time, the surprise being it took till extra time. The crash-bang technique adopted by the Dutch, not quite an expression of the Totaalvoetbal legacy, was a concession to their inferiority as a team.

Still the stifle and counterattack theory may have delivered them the game if not for just the right amount of scragging from Puyol and just the right amount of goal keeping excellence by Casillas, as Robben was played through on goal by Sneijder only to fail in the finish. Despite the loud protestations by the Dutch that they didn’t get the best of the refereeing decisions, they were clearly second best with the ball and the best at hacking and clattering.

Football-speak is full of code: ‘Enforcer’ translates as ‘thug’ whom your supporters love but everyone else hates, perfect for Van Bommel. The worst of the cynical infractions though was reserved for De Jong who channelled the spirit of the great striker-cum-ninja Eric Cantona to kung fu kick Xabi’s chest. How he wasn’t walked immediately maybe says a lot about the sticky pocket in which ref Webb must have stored his red card. He said before the match he was determined not to let reds dictate the result. Still the Dutch had a good tournament and one game a reputation should not make. They were great in all but the showpiece.

Spain might have started the tourney slowly but they are the most deserved of winners. Equally, they have been the best team in the world for the last three years, but they may have to cut the “fury” bit from La Furia Roja, their play was clinical and controlled and the faith that they would score never wavered, not once were they panicked into long balls. The one thing above all else that this final should be remembered for is that the power of football triumphed over ugly physicality.

¡Viva España y gracias Sud Africa!

(This post contains no mention of any invertebrate sea creatures with supposed sixth senses.)

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