La Furia Roja (The Red Fury) wore blue in hacking out a pulsating 1-0 overtime victory over the Netherlands to capture the first-ever World Cup for Spain before 84,490 fans in Johannesburg last Sunday (early yesterday morning, Manila time).
It didn’t matter what color of uniform Spain wore. The resplendence was evident just the same. Peaking at the right time, Spain survived an early loss to Switzerland and surrendered only two goals in seven matches throughout the competition, which is held every four years.
Spain had never before qualified for the finals in 12 previous World Cup appearances since 1934 and its best finish was fourth in 1950. But this year, La Furia Roja was favored to win it all, a billing earned by beating Germany, 1-0, for the European crown two years ago. From 2006 to 2009, the Spanish national team posted a perfect record of 35-0. The US ended the streak with a 2-0 upset at the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year. Spain, however, bounced back to win 10-of-10 qualifying matches enroute to the World Cup.
The shocking 1-0 loss to Switzerland in Spain’s debut in this year’s World Cup was a wake-up call. The defeat brought the team back to earth and reminded coach Vincent del Bosque’s charges that in soccer, there are no favorites when the ball is in play.
Slowly, Spain picked up the pieces and got things going. Striker David Villa, who has scored the most goals for Spain in the last six years, delivered twice in the 2-0 romp over Honduras then added one more with Andres Iniesta’s marker in the 2-1 triumph over Chile to advance to the round-of-16. Villa struck anew in Spain’s 1-0 win over Portugal, featuring superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, and booted in his fifth overall goal in the 1-0 quarterfinal squeaker over upset-conscious Paraguay.
In the semifinals, Spain repulsed Germany, 1-0, on Carles Puyol’s header in the 74th minute. Germany looked formidable entering the semifinals after trouncing England, 4-1, in the round-of-16 and Argentina, 4-0, in the quarters. But against Spain, Germany just couldn’t penetrate the defense and foil Iver Casillas’ superb goalkeeping.
Iniesta, 26, was the hero in the finals, scoring in the 116th minute as Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg narrowly missed deflecting the bullet-like kick from within the penalty area. English star Wayne Rooney called Iniesta the world’s best player after the Champions League finals last year. Iniesta has now compiled eight goals in 47 matches with the national team compared to Villa’s 41 in 62.
Del Bosque said La Furia Roja was destined to make history and it did.
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Casillas, the 29-year-old Spanish skipper nicknamed “Saint Iker” for his miraculous saves, was awarded the Golden Glove trophy as the World Cup’s most outstanding keeper. In the Paraguay match, he stopped Oscar Cardozo’s penalty to mark his second save in regulation in two different World Cups – the first coming off Ireland’s Ian Harte in 2002.
Villa, Germany’s Thomas Mueller, the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder and Uruguay’s Diego Forlan knocked in five goals apiece to figure in a four-way tie for the Golden Boot – the reward for the World Cup’s top scorer. To break the logjam, organizers counted each player’s assists and Mueller emerged on top of the heap. Villa came in second for the Silver Boot and Sneijder, third for the Bronze Boot.
Forlan, 31, was named the World Cup MVP and awarded the Golden Ball. The former Manchester United forward, now with Atletico Madrid, scored twice against host South Africa and once against Ghana, the Netherlands and Germany. His father Pablo played for Uruguay in the 1966 and 1974 World Cups so soccer is clearly in Forlan’s blood. Uruguay topped the tournament in 1930 and 1950.
Mueller, 20, was a revelation. The Bayern Munich midfielder had never scored a goal for Germany before and his collection of five in his first World Cup was a major feat. He was awarded the Best Young Player trophy for participants who are 21 and under. Mueller booted in a goal against Australia, Argentina and Uruguay and two against England. A rookie pro, he was described as “quick, incisive, a fine crosser of the ball and cool in front of (the goal)” by World Soccer magazine.
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What brought Spain to the top was Del Bosque’s willingness to take chances by initiating change. His vision goes beyond the present.
“We have a very young team and that means that we can grow further,” said Del Bosque. “They are very keen to learn and keep improving. It gives freshness too. We have added a few newer players. Spain’s youth development has been superb over the last 15 years, there have been a lot of options. It’s not good to be stuck in the past or to keep things as they are just for the sake of it.”
Spain’s recent history in sports is impressive. In 2006, Spain won its first world basketball championship in Saitama, crushing Greece, 70-47, in the finals. Last year, Spain claimed its first European basketball title, blasting Serbia, 85-63, in the championship game. Spanish cagers Pau and Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Juan Carlos Navarro, Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon and Sergio Rodriguez are known all over the world. By the way, Spain will host the world basketball championships in 2014.