New Media Assistant and former Panther soccer standout Chris Lins contributes some closing thoughts on the World Cup
It was a well-deserved victory for Spain as they become only the 9th country to win the World Cup - Congratulations!
For me, the game was very choppy and didn't flow as some predicted. When Spain was given the opportunity, they linked some great passes together but failed to convert on any of the several chances they created thoughout the first 90 minutes. The Netherlands looked dangerous on a couple counter attacks but wasn't able to get into any sort of rhythm. The game was very physical as it set a new record of yellow cards in a Final at 13. I think that this style of play favored the Dutch. Whenever Spain tried to play their game and move the ball around one and two touch they were fouled.
This continued even through extra time, as Dutch defender John Heitinga managed to get his second yellow of the game and sent off in the 109th minute. After this, Spain was able to find that extra space on the pitch and pull the stubborn Dutch defense apart. It wasn't long after that, when Spain's Andres Iniesta found the back of the net in the 116th minute.
YES!!! I was relieved and happy because as much as most (including myself) people would have loved the game to go into a penalty shootout (very exciting) I didn't want to see the Cup go to a team that didn't perform well enough to win during regulation, to win in a shootout.
In the end, the World Cup is a roller coaster ride with great teams not meeting expectations and unknown teams finding that unity and drive to make some heads turn. I congratulate Spain on their victory and am counting down the days till the next World Cup!
