Originally Published: 2010-07-18

Despite the fact that Spain lost to Switzerland in its opening game, it went on to win the World Cup. I believe that’s the first time that has happened.
There were almost precedents such as when Argentina lost its opening game against Cameroon in 1990, and when Italy lost to Ireland in 1994. Both Argentina and Italy came close to winning it all in those respective years.
Argentina lost the final of Italia ’90 because Germany was awarded a nonexistent penalty. Italy, four years later, lost the final because coach Sacchi – who in his presumptuousness could have been Lippi’s twin – played a defensive game when he should have attacked. Then Franco Baresi and Roberto Baggio played their part, who each made a meal of their respective penalty kicks, and the goose was cooked.
In this first final to be held in Africa – intense but badly refereed – the main characters where three: referee Webb, Spanish whirling dervish Iniesta, and the Dutch Robben.
Webb, who is a policeman by profession, should have arrested himself at game-end, locked himself up in a jail cell, and thrown away the key, at least until the next World Cup.
Iniesta, seeing that Villa and Ramos couldn’t get a thing right, took on the role of homeland saviour himself. Gathering a pass and scoring with a shot to the opposite corner, he crowned his splendid tournament performance: I personally consider him the best of the South African tournament in terms of substance and continuity – slightly behind is German giant Schweinsteiger. Deserving special mention is Diego Furlan – the Uruguayan bomber born in 1979 who has always been ignored by Italian clubs – for the superb goals he scored. Robben, for his part, made a meal not of one but two, and the gold statuette was later awarded to the Spaniards by the ineffable Sepp Blatter. Apart from Casillas’s skillful save), an expert and well-travelled attacker like Robben should have taken advantage of those chances. Had he scored, today the World Cup would possibly – and unjustly – have made for a wonderful exhibit on a Dutch pitch.

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