Spain Are Champions of the World

By Lance Mazza

Over the past several years leading up to the World Cup, Spain never had a problem scoring goals. That wasn't the case against the rough squad from Netherlands in the final game of the World Cup.

As the final minutes were ticking away, Spain did what they know how to do. They punished the Netherlands and avoided the luck of penalty shots. Both teams were tired and it didn't help the Dutch that they went a man down.

Andres Iniesta was the man to secure the game in overtime. It took 116 minutes for Spain to put the ball in the old onion bag, but it was due to their persistent pressure they had against the Netherlands. It was only a matter of time before someone put one home.

Early on in the tournament it didn't look like Spain would come out champions. They only scored 8 goals in the seven games they've played. However, they still maintained their composure and confidence it pulled through. It can get quite frustrating for a team when you miss as many chances as they did, but clearly they didn't let it get to them.

Things could have been different if the Netherlands capitalized on some of their chances. Arjen Robben had two great chances, one in which some believe is a controversial no-call. If any of these opportunities went in, who knows what would have happened? Instead, they walk away with their 3rd loss in the World Cup finals.

While the Netherlands secured the title as under-achievers, Spain secured the Euro Cup and World Cup titles at the same time. Only West Germany and France have produced such results.

Many experts believe Spain was stronger at the Euro Cup two years ago, which makes their win even more impressive. They weren't the best they've been and were still able to take home the title!

Spain was an extremely deep team. With Fabregas and Fernando Torres on the bench, they had some extra juice to bring in. These tournaments take a serious toll on the players, so having as deep of a team as Spain really goes a long way.

Lance Mazza enjoyed spending his time watching the World Cup games. He's also a passionate basketball fan and player. He's recently written about his favorite [http://basketballset.net/outdoor-basketball-hoop]outdoor basketball hoop and [http://basketballset.net/mini-basketball-hoops]mini basketball hoops.

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