2010 World Cup
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Played
July 11, 2010 7:30 PM BST
Soccer City, Johannesburgo
Referee:‬ Howard Webb (ENG)‎
 

World Cup 2010 Final Preview: Netherlands - Spain

It’s do or die time in Soccer City, as a new name will be engraved onto the World Cup final trophy...

By Robin Bairner

More On :  Netherlands, Spain, Netherlands vs Spain
Spain, Germany, World Cup 2010 (Getty Images)
Kick Off: Sunday, July 11, 2010, 20:30 CET
Soccer City, Johannesburg

Seeking The Ultimate Prize

Two of Europe’s great flamboyant footballing nations are preparing to contest the World Cup, yet the Netherlands have suddenly become a pragmatic force who are difficult to defeat while Spain have at times been over elaborate in attack and have been sneaking through games by the tightest of margins for the duration of the competition.

Of the two nations, the Oranje have the greater World Cup pedigree. During the 1970s, ‘Total Football’ caught the world’s imagination, yet twice the Netherlands came up short when placed in the final. It is coach Bert van Marwijk’s job to ensure that it’s third time lucky for the Dutch.

“We have come here for the ultimate prize, that is our goal and we will only enjoy this tournament if we win it," a determined Van Marwijk told the press prior to the semi-final.

Favouring the Netherlands is the fact that they’ve had a full 24 hours more than Spain to rest up prior to this monumental occasion. The Oranje met Uruguay in the first semi-final, which was predicted to be a closely-fought match but ultimately ended in a five-goal thriller, with the Europeans edging through 3-2 despite failing to hit their best level.

Previously, Van Marwijk’s side had played with the pomp of world champions. Wesley Sneijder has been superb in the playmaking role, Arjen Robben looks sharp after injury out wide, while Mark van Bommel has dictated things from his anchoring role in the centre of the field.

If it all comes together again, the Netherlands can finally put to bed their tag of being ‘the best nation never to win the World Cup’.

So Much Quality

Spain, however, can also lay claim to the same tag. Throughout the competition Vicente del Bosque’s side have had to battle demons of Spanish past, not helping their country’s traditional reputation of ‘bottling it’ on the big stage when they lost 1-0 to Switzerland in the opening match of the competition.

La Furia Roja have not been especially convincing since then. Five successive wins may have been accrued, but only the first of these, which was against Honduras, was by a greater margin than a solitary goal. To compound Spanish concerns, they’ve tiptoed through the knockout rounds by winning 1-0 in each of their three games, which have come against Portugal, Paraguay and Germany.

At no stage, however, have La Roja looked truly threatened. They’ve commanded possession well in all of their fixtures and have generally been on the front foot against sides who have stubbornly packed 10 players behind the ball in an attempt to stifle their technical excellence. On each occasion, Spain have found the decisive strike in the second half, though they have contrived to over-complicate matters on countless occasions.

“One bad game and you are out. That is how it works in the World Cup and that should be a warning to us on Sunday,” Xabi Alonso told the press earlier this week.

“It is a privilege to be among this group of players. There is so much quality. We have great competition and that is good for the team because it brings the best out of everyone.”

European champions from two years ago, the Spaniards may not have the World Cup pedigree of the Dutch, but they do certainly have the big game experience and winning mentality that allows them to start as favourites to go down in history as the first team from Europe to win the competition on a foreign continent.


TEAM NEWS

Netherlands

Bert van Marwijk’s side are in a state of excellent health. Though a handful of the top Oranje stars were rested from training on Friday, the coach will have a full complement of players to select from come Sunday.

Maarten Stekelenburg had caused some concern due to a hip problem, but he has been training normally, while the dental problems acquired by Demy de Zeeuw in the semi-final have been cleared.

De Zeeuw and Khalid Boulahrouz will both drop to the bench as Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong return from suspension.

Probable Starting XI: Stekelenburg; Van der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst; Van Bommel, De Jong; Robben, Sneijder, Kuyt; Van Persie

Spain

Vicente del Bosque, like his counterpart in the opposite dugout, will be able to field his first choice XI. That may mean that Fernando Torres is once again on the bench, especially after Pedro produced such an exciting display in the semi-final.

Raul Albiol is the main injury concern for La Roja, and it seems likely that he won’t have a role to play come Sunday.

Probable Starting XI: Casillas; Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila; Busquets, Alonso; Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta; Villa
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Netherlands 1-2 Spain
    15.86 %
  • Netherlands 2-1 Spain
    14.97 %
  • Netherlands 0-1 Spain
    12.86 %
Head to Head
2010 World Cup ‎(WC)‎ Jul 11, 2010 Netherlands 0 - Spain 1
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
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Last Five Matches
Netherlands
Nov 15, 2011Germany 3 - Netherlands 0FR
Nov 11, 2011Netherlands 0 - Switzerland 0FR
Oct 11, 2011Sweden 3 - Netherlands 2EC
Oct 7, 2011Netherlands 1 - Moldova 0EC
Sep 6, 2011Finland 0 - Netherlands 2EC
Spain
Nov 15, 2011Costa Rica 2 - Spain 2FR
Nov 12, 2011England 1 - Spain 0FR
Oct 11, 2011Spain 3 - Scotland 1EC
Oct 7, 2011Czech Rep. 0 - Spain 2EC
Sep 6, 2011Spain 6 - Liechtenstein 0EC
Team News
Available Squads
1Maarten StekelenburgGoalkeeper
2Gregory van der WielDefender
4Joris MathijsenDefender
3John HeitingaDefender
-Giovanni van Bronckhorst
6Mark van BommelMidfielder
-Nigel De JongMidfielder
9Wesley SneijderMidfielder
-Arjen Robben
-Dirk KuytStriker
-Robin van PersieStriker
-Michel VormGoalkeeper
-Sander BoschkerGoalkeeper
-Khalid BoulahrouzDefender
-André Ooijer
-Demy de Zeeuw
-Stijn SchaarsMidfielder
8Ibrahim AfellayMidfielder
-Ryan BabelStriker
11Klaas-Jan HuntelaarStriker
-Eljero EliaStriker
7Rafael van der VaartMidfielder
-Edson BraafheidDefender
1Iker CasillasGoalkeeper
15Sergio RamosDefender
3Gerard PiquéDefender
5Carles PuyolDefender
-Capdevila
14Xabi AlonsoMidfielder
16Sergio Busquets BurgosMidfielder
8XaviMidfielder
18PedroStriker
6Andrés Iniesta LujánMidfielder
7David VillaStriker
1Víctor ValdésGoalkeeper
23José Reina PaezGoalkeeper
17ArbeloaDefender
2Raúl Albiol TortajadaDefender
13Juan MataMidfielder
20Javi MartínezMidfielder
19Fernando LlorenteStriker
22Jesús Navas GonzálezMidfielder
10Cesc FàbregasMidfielder
-Carlos Marchena
21David SilvaMidfielder
9Fernando TorresStriker
Players to Watch
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 9
Games Goals YC RC
7 5 1 0
Iker Casillas has warned Spain not to focus all their attentions on Arjen Robben, and la Roja would do well to heed their goalkeeper’s advice as Wesley Sneijder has been one of the outstanding stars of the tournament. Much of the best Dutch play has flown through the Inter playmaker, who has also contributed heavily on the goal front. The 26-year-old stands on the brink of achieving a unique quadruple after earning a clean sweep of trophies on the club front this season.
Pedro
Pedro
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 18
Games Goals YC RC
5 0 0 0
La Furia Roja have been somewhat lacking in firepower during the World Cup, and had it not been for the goal scoring talents of David Villa would likely have come up dry on more than one occasion. Though it is the Barcelona man the Oranje will most closely shackle, club-mate Pedro is a wildcard to have an outstanding game. A youngster who seem undaunted by any situation, he was arguably Spain’s outstanding player in the semi-final, adding effervescence and directness to the midfield. Look for the 22-year-old Canary Islander to really earn his stripes here.
Probable Lineups
Maarten Stekelenburg 1
Gregory van der Wiel 2
Joris Mathijsen 4
John Heitinga 3
Giovanni van Bronckhorst 0
Mark van Bommel 6
Nigel De Jong 0
Wesley Sneijder 9
Arjen Robben 0
Dirk Kuyt 0
Robin van Persie 0
Iker Casillas 1
Sergio Ramos 15
Gerard Piqué 3
Carles Puyol 5
Capdevila 0
Xabi Alonso 14
Sergio Busquets Burgos 16
Xavi 8
Pedro 18
Andrés Iniesta Luján 6
David Villa 7
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Results
Final
Times In BST
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Match News
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Diego Forlan Corazo Diego Forlan Corazo
Striker
Uruguay 		5 1
David Villa David Villa
Striker
Spain 		5 0
Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder
Midfielder
Netherlands 		5 0
Thomas Müller Thomas Müller
Striker
Germany 		5 0
Robert Vittek Robert Vittek
Striker
Slovakia 		4 1
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