By now, we've all had over a day to digest the results of the 2010 World Cup final between Netherlands and Spain which the Spanish won 1-0 in extra time. While we can agree the best team won, the lasting image of the Dutch beating down (literally) the Spanish is an unfair one even though that's how the last match went down.
Clockwork Oranje were one of the most exciting teams to watch and it's a shame that their coaching staff felt their best chance to beat Spain was to play them (overly) physical. You're never going to win when you pile up nine cards so in many ways, it's a miracle that Netherlands hung around for as long as they did. Once they went down to 10 men, you had a feeling it was over. Thankfully, Iniesta scored a beauty of a goal and this Cup (between two great soccer powers that had never won it before) was decided without PKs.
It will be another long four years for the Dutch until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They've been in three finals (1974, 1978, 2010) but they have yet to raise soccer's most famous trophy. Still, this is a team brimming with younger talent that should be right near the top the next time around. I picked them to win it all going into South Africa and while that didn't come true, I was happy to see Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Co. provide countless thrills to their orange-clad fans.
Netherlands won Group E and were actually unbeaten going into the final against Spain so this wasn't a fluke by any means. Their win over Brazil was one of the greatest victories in their country's rich soccer history. Look out for the Dutch in Euro 2012 and they'll be loaded in 2014, don't forget this team.
Netherlands
Best Moment: Going up 3-1 on Robben's header vs. Uruguay, booking their trip to the final against Uruguay. It was a completely random moment of brilliance from a player known for one move and one foot.
Worst Moment: John Heitinga's red card against Spain in the 109th minute was the moment the momentum completely swung to the Spanish. With so many rash challenges all game, the Dutch were living on a razor's edge as Shimer said while we watched it. Still a bummer that they got a red card but it was completely predictable given the dumb style they were employing.
Best Result: The 2-1 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals was not only one of the signature results of the tournament, as I alluded to before it was one of the greatest wins in Netherlands' rich soccer history. They were down 1-0 in the 10th minute and at that point, who would have expected to see Brazil fold and not Netherlands? An awesome game that deserves major props.
Worst Result: The biggest layup we've had in the entire tournament. Losing to the Spanish will hurt for a long, long time. The Dutch can beat the Spanish when they're at their best. Robben had two great chances that he couldn't bury against Iker Casillas and the match looked destined for penalty kicks before Heitinga's silly red card.
Final Tally: Second Place - 6 wins, 1 loss, 12 goals scored, 6 goals allowed.
Best Player: Two players from Netherlands stood out above the rest: Robben and Sneijder. Not only did they score the big goals but they were dangerous every time they touched the ball. Robben really played well in the final and it's a shame that he couldn't put a goal or two in. As Shimer said, Sneijder slowed down in the last few matches but scoring five goals from center midfield is ridiculous in this level of competition. Not to mention how many dirty passes Sneijder sprayed all around the park. Just a complete stud and as Shimer and I said the other night, he's a certified lock to win the FIFA player of the year in December, you can book that.
Worst Player: Midfielder Mark Van Bommel epitomized why the Netherlands failed in the final. He was out of control every time you saw him near the ball and that seemed to seep over to his more talented and steady teammates. He's 33-years-old so it's impressive that he was still out there for such a good team but I won't be sad to see him gone from this squad in the near future.
