bravo!

Well done Spain, I think everyone with half a football brain can agree that the best team of the tournament (and the past 4 years) won, so we can't really have any complaints. And thats what they were too, a team. Reina helping Iker, everyone putting aside their Real Barca squalls to play together, kudos. And as for Holland, with all their total-fotballing reputation, that to be fair, is more of a product of the press than anything else, they approached the final like a Birmingham of sorts. And when u come into a game like that, well, you've got no one to blame but yourselves. You just sensed that Robben's miss was it for them. You knew they were going to get their chance, and that was it. Fair play to Iker though, he came up with the goods against Paraguay too.

I thought Howard Webb could have given more cards if anything, and Robben was lucky not to get sent off for kicking the ball away, if you want to talk about consistent yellows. People want to point fingers at Spain for overreacting, well fucking everybody does that. hello? you dont just play to play. its part of the game. I shouldn't even have to write that sentence. I could live without the players appealing for cards though, that does annoy me, and perhaps the Spaniards are a little more guilty of that than others, but thats beside the point.

The point is, for all the talk about German efficiency, (which at this point has turned into my #1 most overused european cliche and is the equivalent of hearing nails on a chalkboard) it was Spain who were the model of efficiency this tournament. They stuck to their guns and did it, grinding out results. Just as Barca triumphed over Chelsea in last years Champs League Semi, passing wins again. Even if you don't like Spain, you have to appreciate what they've done.

my best 11: Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Sergio Ramos, Casillas, Robben, Forlan, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Sneijder.