SPAIN WINS THE 2010 WORLD CUP

Holy crap! What an amazing game! Full of sighs and miraculous, theatrical kicks, stuntman tumbles, Luftwaffe header pirouettes and ninjitsu tears. The two halves went without a goal until second over-time when Iniesta fiddles through a Dutch dam and David Villa lobs it to him. Iniesta's goal was worth not only worth wait, it's grandeur drew from the more than 105 minutes of continuous play (two 45 min halves and a 15 min overtime).

Both teams were evenly matched. The Netherlands came out to play and they played defensively aggressive, while from minute one, Spain played aggressively adept and dynamic futbol; shit, you could even say that Spain beat the Netherlands by outplaying them at TotalFutbol, a style of futbol created by Cruyff in the late 70's. Exhibit A: in the awesome match against Germany, Puyol, a defensive player made the most amazing header I have ever seen in my measly life.

I guess what I am trying to say is that both teams wanted it but I feel that the Netherlands were waiting for Spain to make a mistake that never came. For example, Iker Casillas made the sweetest save on a fast break with Robben, but so did the goalie for the Netherlands. Both teams' goalies plaer amazingly well and the goal that Iniesta made in the second over time segment was pure genius and came almost at the end. But it came, and that is all that matters.

I swear towards the end I was just hoping that the game would not end in a penalty shoot out because I felt that that might have been a let down. In some sordid way, I feel that the World Cup owed us an amazing match that did not end in a shoot out.

I also came to grips with the many Odes that I am going to have to write for the 2010 World Cup. So far this is my short list: Sneijder, Forlan, Iniesta, Donovan, Higuain, Podolski, Schweinstagger, etc.