The European champion Spaniards are now the world champions, too.
UPDATED: 10:30 p.m.
Spain's Andres Iniesta (right) scores past Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg during extra time for the winning goal in the World Cup championship match. Michelle Kaufman
McClatchy Newspapers
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The first foul of the 2010 World Cup final was committed by a spectator who ran onto the field Sunday night and tried to grab the golden World Cup trophy, which was on display on a pedestal in the moments before the players from Spain and the Netherlands were due to walk out from the tunnel. Security guards tackled the man and carried him off the field.
Almost three hours later -- in the 116th minute of hard-tackling, bad-tempered soccer that produced a record 14 yellow cards -- Spain grabbed that trophy for the first time in history, winning, 1-0, on an extra-time goal by midfielder Andres Iniesta, one of the smallest but most exquisite passers on the field.
The Dutch were down to 10 men, and the ugly game was grinding its way down to a penalty-kick shootout when substitute Cesc Fabregas found Iniesta free on the right side in the 116th minute, and the Barcelona magician they call "El Ilusionista" (The Illusionist) gave it one touch and then volleyed it eight yards past the outstretched arms of Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. The goal spared the 84,490 fans at Soccer City and the estimated TV audience of 700 million a shootout.
After he scored, Iniesta ripped off his jersey to reveal a T-shirt that read: Dani Jarque Siempre Con Nosotros (Always With Us), a tribute to the former Spanish player who died last August of a heart attack at age 26.
"I simply made a small contribution in a match that was very tough, very rough," Iniesta said. "All sorts of things were happening on the pitch. Spain deserved to win this world championship. It's something we will always remember."
Despite an impressive pedigree of world-class players, this was Spain's first World Cup final. La Furia Roja, as the Spanish team is known, entered this tournament as cofavorites with Brazil after winning the 2008 European championship. Spain started slowly, with a shocking 1-0 loss to Switzerland, but eventually found its stylish passing game and reached Sunday's final.
Spain's opponent was formidable. The Dutch were riding a 25-match unbeaten streak. They won all eight qualifiers and all six matches here, and their orange army of fans was hoping they finally would be able to celebrate their first World Cup title after the Dutch lost in the 1974 and 1978 finals.
The evening began with a lively musical closing ceremony and an appearance by civil rights icon and former South African president Nelson Mandela. One week shy of his 92nd birthday, the frail leader rode onto the field in a golf cart with his wife, Graca Machel. He wore a black coat, black hat and a gentle smile as he waved at the adoring crowd. Mandela didn't stay for the match, but the audience included dozens of dignitaries.
With the celebration just beginning for the Spanish players (top), the Netherlands' Mark van Bommel (6) argues with English referee Howard Webb (second from left) after Andres Iniesta scored the decisive goal during the World Cup final on Sunday.Fifteen African heads of state were in attendance, as were Queen Sofia of Spain and Jan Peter Balkenende, the prime minister of the Netherlands. Other celebrities included Placido Domingo, newly crowned Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal and actors Morgan Freeman and Charlize Theron.
The match closed the curtain on this historic tournament, held on African soil for the first time ever. There was much worry before the event that it was too much for an emerging nation to handle, but the host quickly put all concerns to rest. On Sunday, it was time to celebrate and blow the vuvuzelas one last time.
The red-and-orange party started early in the afternoon, as thousands of fans of both teams gathered at Nelson Mandela Square and serenaded each other with light-hearted digs. It was a festive atmosphere, as Dutch and Spanish fans danced arm-in-arm.
There was no such camaraderie between the teams once the game began. It was clear from the start that the Dutch plan was to thwart the silky-passing Spaniards with muscle and not let them find a rhythm. English referee Howard Webb pulled out his first yellow card in the 11th minute for Dutch forward Robin Van Persie, and by the 25th minute, five players had been booked.
The fouls continued, and the stop-and-go match never found a flow. Fans expected quality soccer from the two talented teams, but instead got 120 minutes of bruising. When it was over, nine Dutch players and five Spaniards had been carded. Dutch defender John Heitinga was ejected with a second yellow in the 109th minute. The previous high for a World Cup final was six yellows in 1986. Angry Dutch players surrounded Webb after the match, but their complaints didn't help.
"They have made it very difficult for us to play comfortably," said Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque, who was thrown up in the air by his players after the win. "It was a very intense match."
Asked if he thought the Dutch used dirty tactics, he replied: "I am here to speak about the good, beautiful things of football. Holland played a good game, so did we. It was a very intense battle, a very balanced, even, tight match. Yes, it was rough at times, but it is part of football. Spain, the country, deserves this triumph, this reward, this World Cup. It goes beyond sport. We have to celebrate."
Spain had the better chances as the game went on, with Sergio Ramos hitting a header over the bar in the 77th minute. The Dutch had a great opportunity in the 62nd minute, when Wesley Sneijder split the Spanish defense and put the ball into the path of Arjen Robben, who blasted a shot that goalkeeper Iker Casillas blocked with his feet.
"Even with 10 players, I thought we would be able to make it to the end and get to penalty kicks," Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk said. "It's sad, really, to lose the final in this way. It's disappointing because we came so close. We could've won it."
Van Marwijk was on the defensive after the match, as reporters accused his team of playing dirty, one even saying it was akin to karate.
"It's not our style to commit horrible fouls," he said. "It's not our kind of football. It has been our intention to play beautiful football, but we also were facing a very good opponent. Both sides committed terrible fouls. It might be regrettable for a final.
"You are looking at this from a Spanish perspective, but there were quite some fouls on both sides I don't think the referee controlled the match well. But let me be clear -- the best team won the match."
The Spanish players celebrated by jumping in a circle and raising the trophy toward the sky as red fireworks filled the chilly night air. You could sense their relief. The underachiever label gone for good.