JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Spain won the World Cup for the first time when they beat Netherlands 1-0 after extra time thanks to a goal by midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Iniesta fired home the winner when he was put through in the area by Cesc Fabregas. Keeper Maarten Stekelenburg dived to his right and got a hand to the ball he could not keep it out.
The defeat was heartbreaking for the Dutch, who were down to 10 men after John Heitinga was sent off in extra time. It was their third World Cup final loss after 1974 and 1978.
European champions Spain had looked the more assured early on in the clash at Soccer City as a nervous-looking Dutch side ceded territory to their slick opponents.
Stekelenburg was forced into a 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.
But a series of freekicks and bookings, including two strong challenges by Dutch midfielders Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel, shook Spain out of their rhythm and stopped them from producing the swift-passing game that got them to the final.
Netherlands offered little in attack and the nearest they came to a first-half goal was a bizarre incident when Gregory van der Wiel attempted to give the ball back in an act of sportsmanship.
The fullbackÂ’s 60-meter punt bounced up and over Spain captain Iker Casillas, forcing the startled keeper to leap and tip it to safety.
The game continued with frequent stoppages and few chances, until Wesley Sneijder split the Spanish defense with a perfectly-weighted ball into the path of Arjen Robben after 62 minutes only for Casillas to save brilliantly with his feet.
In a lively end to normal time Villa had a shot blocked in front of the line, an unmarked Ramos headed wildly over the bar from five metres out and Puyol was lucky to escape punishment after hauling down a furious Robben.
In extra time it was StekelenburgÂ’s turn to save with his feet when substitute Fabregas was sent clear by Iniesta.
Netherlands had to play with 10 men for the last 10 minutes of extra time when John Heitinga was sent off for hauling down Iniesta on the edge of the box.
The little midfielder got back on his feet and soon after was celebrating scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final to send the delighted Spanish fans into raptures.
Meanwhile, a thunderous roar erupted across the Spanish capital and fans danced in the streets and chanted “Viva Espana!” as the country’s first ever World Cup trophy sparked a nationwide fiesta.
The centre of the capital was a sea of the red and gold national colours as Spain celebrated its agonising 1-0 extra-time win over Holland on Sunday.
The deafening sounds of cheering, klazons, firecrackers and cars horns rang out across the city as the World CupÂ’s perennial underachievers won the trophy in their first appearance in the final.
In temperatures of 37 C (99 F), more than 150,000 supporters watched the match on massive screens in a giant “fan park” in a one-kilometre (half-mile) stretch of the city’s main thoroughfare.
Others crammed into bars or stayed home for the match, which left the country paralysed Sunday evening.
Many were wrapped in the Spanish flag, wore the red team shirts or red wigs, or had their faces painted red and gold.
Spain v Netherlands record
Full record of international matches between 2010 World Cup winners Spain and runners-up Netherlands:
1920 (Olympic Games)
At Antwerp, Belgium
Spain 3 Netherlands 1
1957 (Friendly)
At Madrid
Spain 5 Netherlands 1
1973 (Friendly)
At Amsterdam
Netherlands 3 Spain 2
1980 (Friendly)
At Vigo
Spain 1 Netherlands 0
1983 (European Championship qualifier)
At Seville
Spain 1 Netherlands 0
1983 (European Championship qualifier)
At Rotterdam
Netherlands 2 Spain 1
1987 (Friendly)
At Barcelona
Spain 1 Netherlands 1
2000 (Friendly)
At Seville
Spain 1 Netherlands 2
2002 (Friendly)
At Rotterdam
Netherlands 1 Spain 0
2010 (World Cup final)
At Johannesburg, South Africa
Spain 1 Netherlands 0
after extra time
Mandela appears at final, crowning South AfricaÂ’s World Cup
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Nelson Mandela crowned South AfricaÂ’s World Cup Sunday with an appearance on the field at the closing ceremony, as 700 million viewers tuned in to watch SpainÂ’s 1-0 victory over Netherlands.
The 91-year-old flashed his famous smile and waved to the nearly 85,000 fans in Johannesburg as he circled the pitch alongside his wife Graca Machel in an open-air vehicle, in a brief but proud moment the nation had long waited for.
He was greeted by cheers of “Madiba”, his clan name used affectionately by his compatriots, which rang louder than applause for any of the stars at the closing show that illuminated the stands in fireworks and lights.
The anti-apartheid hero’s family had earlier hit out at FIFA “pressure” and he only decided two hours earlier to join 17 world leaders, royalty and a raft of Hollywood stars who have jetted into Johannesburg.
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, his grandson, told AFP that he would return home to watch the game.
Mandela had cancelled on the June 11 opener when his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash.
“We’re also a family in mourning. We should allow my grandfather to mourn,” the grandson said earlier.
“FIFA should have taken that into consideration and stop pressuring” for Mandela to attend, he added.
The moment inevitably recalled South AfricaÂ’s 1995 rugby World Cup victory when Mandela donned the jersey of the nationÂ’s mainly white Springboks, in a moment now seen as a symbol of national healing.
The Nobel laureateÂ’s spirit has loomed large over AfricaÂ’s first World Cup, which has been repeatedly compared to the national euphoria that greeted his release from an apartheid prison 20 years ago.
South Africa has delighted in proving wrong sceptics’ fears about the host country’s ability to pull it off, with President Jacob Zuma calling it “a truly inspiring, moving and uplifting month.”
Tickets to the sold-out final resold for up to 2,500 dollars online, more than double the highest official price.
FIFA says overall attendance at all World Cup matches has topped three million, only the third tournament to do so, and predicts the television audience will top 700 million with live broadcasts in 215 countries and territories
During the closing show, Colombian “Waka Waka” superstar Shakira performed on the field, which was transformed into a giant screen used to project a highlights reel of the tournament’s best moments.
More than 700 performers showed off the nationÂ’s varied musical heritage, from jazz to urban hip-hop, while giant elephant puppets glided across the field.
Police deployed heavy security around the stadium, restricting access to the cityÂ’s main highway and banning flights overhead.
Hundreds of Dutch and Spanish fans paid top dollar to jet into Johannesburg for the match, as both nations angled to hoist the World Cup for the first time, creating huge anticipation for fans at home.
In Madrid police closed a one-kilometre (half-mile) stretch of the main thoroughfare for a “fan park” where some 150,000 supporters of “La Roja” (The Reds) gathered for a victory fiesta that was likely to last all night.
Amsterdam had to urge people to stop coming into a city square where 100,000 people gathered to watch, while Dutch flags draped from homes, some of which had been entirely covered in orange plastic sheets.