Between their fouls and foul finishing, the Netherlands got what was coming to them.
The team that invented Total Football resorted to total foul in today’s 1-0 extra time World Cup final loss to Spain. A team that once epitomized class stooped to crass, playing a cynical, foul-plagued, borderline dirty game; and for 116 minutes, it worked, leaving stylish Spain flustered and frustrated.
That is, until Andres Iniesta got open in the box, taking a pass from Cesc Fabregas and drilled a right-footed shot from eight yards out just off the fingertips of diving GK Maarten Stekelenburg.
After scoring for Spain _ which also won the FIFA Fair Play award for their clean play _ Iniesta revealed a shirt that read “Dani Jarque always with us,” in honor of the Espanyol defender that’d died last August of a heart attack. After the final whistle, the Dutch surrounded the ref, screaming and cursing at him.
It was a fitting end, showed the difference in the two sides.
The Dutch had been rolling, undefeated not only in qualifying but throughout the World Cup. But they seemingly took their cue from the pitch-invading fan getting punched out before the game. With just 37.1 percent possession, they resorted to hacking, with 28 fouls and seven yellow cards _ five in a span of 14 minutes.
Robin Van Persie took down Joan Capdevila, and Mark van Bommel _ who has shown a thuggish streak throughout the entire World Cup _ could’ve drawn red for tackling Iniesta from behind and leaving him in a heap. But Nigel de Jong should’ve drawn red for literally leaping and kicking Xabi Alonso in the chest.
De Jong somehow escaped a sending off; as a South Yorkshire cop in his day job, British ref Howard Webb should know assault when he sees it. But Webb had no choice but to send off John Heitinga after a second yellow in extra time. The Dutch went a man down, and added today to finals losses in 1974 and 1978.
Will the Dutch defeat keep cynical football from being the tactic de jour going forward? Brazil eschewed jogo bonito under Dunga and still lost in the quarters; and the Dutch earned this loss, not just with fouls but more importantly with foul finishing.
Winger Arjen Robben squandered two golden second-half breakaway chances. GK Iker Casillas made a right-footed kick-save to rob him in the 62nd minute, then stoned him again with help from D Carles Puyol. Robben was misty-eyed afterward, but in truth, the Dutch got what was coming to them. It was Robben that’d said the Dutch could win ugly; well he got the ugly part right.