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Spain 1, Netherlands 0 (after Added Extra Time)

Holland:
1- Maarten Stekelenburg;
2- Gregory van der Wiel, 3- John Heitinga, 4- Joris Mathijsen, 5- Giovanni van Bronckhorst(C);
7- Dirk Kuyt, 6- Mark van Bommel, 10- Wesley Sneijder, 8- Nigel de Jong,
11- Arjen Robben 9- Robin van Persie.

Spain:
1- Iker Casillas (C);
15- Sergio Ramos, 3- Gerard Pique, 5- Carles Puyol, 11- Joan Capdevila;
14- Xabi Alonso, 8- Xavi, 6- Andres Iniesta, 16- Sergio Busquets;
18- Pedro, 7-David Villa.

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

There is a time every aspiring footballer dreams of in …

Expected Starting Line-ups:
Spain (4-2-1-3):
Iker Casillas;
Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Joan Vapdevila;
Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso;
Xavi;
Pedro, David Villa, Andres Iniesta.
Netherlands (4-2-3-1):
Maarten Stekelenburg;
Gregory van der Wiel, Johnny Heitinga, Joris Mathijsen, Giovanni van
Bronckhorst;
Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel;
Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Dirk Kuuyt;
Robin van Persie.
Referee: Howard Webb (England).
Venue: Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg.
Just like that, the first ever World Cup to be held in Africa is
coming to an end with Sunday’s final between the reigning European
champions Spain and two-times finalists Holland as the crowning glory
of what has been an eventful, unpredictable – albeit mostly
unspectacular …

Germany 3, Uruguay 2
Uruguay Starting Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Muslera
Uruguay: Fucile, Lugano, Godin, Caceres, Maxi Pereira, Perez (Gargano, 77), Arevalo Rios, Cavani (Abreu, 88), Suarez, Forlan.
Germany Starting Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Butt
Boateng, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Aogo, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil (Tasci, 91), Jansen (Kroos, 81), Cacau (Kiessling, 73).
Speaking from a strictly American point of view, all soccer matches – especially at the World Cup – should be like third-place matches. When two teams want to honor their reputations but don’t face the choking, suffocating pressure of the World Cup final, they play a liberated brand of soccer …

Spain 1, Germany 0.
Spain: Puyol, 73
Germany Starting Lineup: (4-2-3-1)
1-Manuel Neuer;
16-Philipp Lahm, 3-Arne Friedrich, 17-Per Mertesacker, 20-Jerome Boateng;
6-Sami Khedira, 7-Bastian Schweinsteiger;
15-Piotr Trochowski, 8-Mesut Ozil, 10-Lukas Podolski;
11-Miroslav Klose.
Spain Starting Lineup: (4-2-1-3)
1-Iker Casillas;
15-Sergio Ramos, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 11-Joan Capdevila;
14-Xabi Alonso,  16-Sergio Busquets;
8-Xavi;
18-Pedro, 7-David Villa, 6-Andres Iniesta.
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).
This World Cup, while not outstanding in terms of quality and number
of goals, has been every sportswriter’s dream because it has been a
groundbreaking tournament in many ways. We saw some football
superpowers exit from the back door; we saw upsets and drama galore;
we witnessed a …

Netherlands 3, Uruguay 2 – Netherlands advances to World Cup final
Uruguay Starting Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Muslera
Godín,  Victorino,  Cáceres,  Maxi Pereira,  Gargano,  Arévalo,  Álvaro Pereira (Abreu, 78),  Pérez,  Cavani,  Forlán (Fernandez, 84)
Netherlands Starting Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Stekelenburg
Mathijsen, Heitinga, Van Bronckhorst, Boulahrouz, De Zeeuw (Van der Vaart, 45), Van Bommel, Van Persie, Sneijder, Kuyt, Robben (Elia, 90)
________________________________________________________________________________
Cruyff.
Van Basten.
Gulitt.
Bergkamp.
Total Football.
The Netherlands has given many stars and a rich legacy of excellence to the sport of international football. For decades, Holland has delighted neutral observers with an aesthetically pleasing brand of play, earning admiration even in defeat. Fans of the world’s most popular athletic …