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Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, right, and Spain’s Sergio Ramos, second from right, hold up the World Cup trophy as they celebrate with fellow team members during the World Cup final soccer match between the Netherlands and Spain at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, July 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The recently concluded Final wasn’t the most beautiful of Beautiful Games, but it was definitely exciting television.
For Andres Iniesta, who handily sunk that gamebreaking goal; for Xavi, that unstoppable dynamo of the Spanish offense; and for Iker Casillas, whose lightning-quick reflexes saved La Furia Roja’s nets every single time.
Of course you can’t forget Oranje: Arjen Robben, whose furious striking almost scared the wits out of the Hispanophiles; John Heitinga, whose cards may have gotten Oranje out of several a Villa goal but at atrociously high a cost; and Giovanni von Bronckhorst, the captain whose defense ultimately mattered more than that of his own goalkeeper. I still feel a bit sad for them though, it being their third final lost their entire lifetime in this tournament.
But in this case, the more beautiful game prevailed, and rightly so.
It’s only been one World Cup, but I think I’m getting the hang of this.
Watching sports hasn’t been this fun in a while. Maybe I should make this a habit.
