Finals: Spain crowned World Champions

[Rendezvous]

I like this one.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDrkU0rzFu8[/youtube]

[Foye]

I thought it was much more professional than horrible. Horrible would have been simply taking him down. He certainly grabbed him, but I've seen a hell of a lot worse in those instances. I give Puyol credit for composure in that spot.

At any rate, it's good to see bitching about the officiating isn't just limited to NBA fans.

Spain might have gotten away from some stuff, but nothing compared to Holland. They were the ones who set the tone. Van Bommel should have been gone by halftime -- he was a thug throughout the tournament -- and DeJong's foul was, to quote the English press, scandalous.

Again I'm talking about the foul when Puyol got the yellow card and not that incident later.

[lobishome]

The victory in the sports is like the fishes : it sucks after two days. Nobody cares today the Sunday's cards.

I care the future and Spain haven't play qualification games in the next four years because we are already qualified for next euro and world championships. We will play only friendly games and it's not the same. It's a pity because we have the second younger team after Germany.

[treiz]

The biggest mistakes by the referee were:
- Red card to De Jong for that high kick to Xabi Alonso. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEZktAU9TA8
- Second yellow card to Van Bommel for reiteration (when Iniesta pushes him previously Van Bommel had intentionally stepped him and it was a yellow card for both players, I have seen the replay and the push Iniesta makes doesnt deserve a red card but a yellow, referee didn't show even the yellow card). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHkbwlIcm84
- Second yellow card to Puyol or red card when he grabbed Robben. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oma9jAyIuSA
- A penalty committed on Xavi when he was trying to shoot inside the area (it's the same penalty Puyol committed on Cesc in this year Champions League).
- Second yellow card to Robben for wasting time when the game was already stopped.

I have read people complaining because the free kick Snejder shoots was a corner and that resulted in the Spanish goal, and even if it's a blatant error by the referee when Spain gets the goal kick they loose the ball and Netherlands have the posession for around half a minute until Spain recovers the ball and starts the play that ended with the goal.

And a last remark. In a game where both teams make a fair play it's easy for the referee and there will be less mistakes, but when you have a match like this with so much fouls it's almost impossible the referee doesn't loose the control of the game.

Firstly, the thing is with the Xavi one is that Van Bronckhorst (I think it was) got to the ball first and Xavi ends up kicking him, hence the loss of balance. It can be seen around the 3:37 mark on the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTIlZoGp ... re=related

And on that play where Spain scores, Elia was fouled. If I can find a video of it, I would post it. But before the goal was scored, Elia was dribbling down the left, then 2 defenders just fouls him, they literally just obliterate him, and no foul was given. I think that was the main issue with the goal, not the corner/goal kick fiasco.

[Basti]

The victory in the sports is like the fishes : it sucks after two days. Nobody cares today the Sunday's cards.

I care the future and Spain haven't play qualification games in the next four years because we are already qualified for next euro and world championships. We will play only friendly games and it's not the same. It's a pity because we have the second younger team after Germany.

huh? only the host team(s) are already qualified.

[lobishome]

huh? only the host team(s) are already qualified.

You are right ... I was thinking the host and the last champion was qualified. Our rivals for 2012 will be Scotland, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Liechtenstein ...What? ... Liechtenstein and Lithuania? ... thats funny ...

[Basti]

huh? only the host team(s) are already qualified.

You are right ... I was thinking the host and the last champion was qualified. Our rivals for 2012 will be Scotland, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Liechtenstein ...What? ... Liechtenstein and Lithuania? ... thats funny ...

haha. consider my post to be only valuable in theory. you guys are already qualified looking at your opponents.

edit: they changed the rules ~5-8 years ago forcing current champions to qualify like everyone else save for the host team.

[Pharmcat]

it was a physical game, but I think thats the only way to beat spain as some of their guys are short in stature...you could see Iniesta get frustrated and he started diving around..if Im a team looking to beat them, this is the strategy I would use

overall, the ref was pretty bad...he didnt give the proper card when necessary(including iniesta retaliation on the dutch player, however weak, Im pretty sure retaliation is a booking offense, puyol grab of robben in that one break away, the kick to the chest was a red, etc)...plus that corner kick late that was never given

but forget all that, that would all be a non story if robben had 1% skill with his right foot, he wouldve scored on that first break away....he is such a predictable player going to his left

in the end, i think the right team won, but at the same time, I think it was showed how to beat them: play physical, focus on D, and try for breakaways

and I dont know, but it seems ESP had a advantage(over the rest of the teams) in that 7 of their players were for barca, so they know how to play with each other and have the chemistry going

[cgf]

^It was last man, so Puyol did deserve a red.

Ultimately though Robben just reinforced a serious lesson, that in soccer, as much as we all hate it, to get the foul you have to go down.

[cgf]

The victory in the sports is like the fishes : it sucks after two days. Nobody cares today the Sunday's cards.

I care the future and Spain haven't play qualification games in the next four years because we are already qualified for next euro and world championships. We will play only friendly games and it's not the same. It's a pity because we have the second younger team after Germany.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjwaqZfjIY[/youtube]
Germany actually had the second youngest team, behind ghana.

[Munchlaxatives]

I wouldn't trust the ages of the Ghana team.

[treiz]

^It was last man, so Puyol did deserve a red.

Ultimately though Robben just reinforced a serious lesson, that in soccer, as much as we all hate it, to get the foul you have to go down.

I know, and that was my criticism towards Robben.

[and1GS]

^It was last man, so Puyol did deserve a red.

Ultimately though Robben just reinforced a serious lesson, that in soccer, as much as we all hate it, to get the foul you have to go down.

No. He reinforced a serious soccer lesson though...you need to be able to use both feet. Dude was too hesitant to shoot with his right.

[FAB0L0US]

I like this one.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDrkU0rzFu8[/youtube]

OMG that song is sooooooooo terrible. I never realized it was a real song until I just saw that garbage. SOOOOOOO bad. Wow that song was trash.

That video also seemed a bit like a fascist video to me for some reason. LOL FIFA IS FASCIST!!

[Dutch]

^It was last man, so Puyol did deserve a red.

Ultimately though Robben just reinforced a serious lesson, that in soccer, as much as we all hate it, to get the foul you have to go down.

No. He reinforced a serious soccer lesson though...you need to be able to use both feet. Dude was too hesitant to shoot with his right.

Shot really wasn't that bad. Most goalies would not have stopped. Face it Spain has Casillas who simply is a good goalie.

[and1GS]

Should have taken the shot earlier and he was hesitant to use his right. Every time I've seen him play he greatly favors his left.

[cgf]

Should have taken the shot earlier and he was hesitant to use his right. Every time I've seen him play he greatly favors his left.

Robben does favor his left but he still delivered a good shot, only thing he could've done better was try and chip it over casillas.

[5DOM]

[treiz]

^LOL. To be fair he was ridiculously fast.