FIFA World Cup 2010 Finale

Exactly a week ago, at this very hour, I was getting ready to watch the most important soccer match of the year: the finals of FIFA World Cup.

Spain versus The Netherlands. The winner would etch their names in History as neither country has ever lifted the coveted trophy. The Spaniards were playing in their first ever finals. The Dutch were beaten twice.

Paul, the German Oracle Octopus, had picked Spain to win. I was rooting for Holland. I should have known better than to go up against a the eight-legged physic who's record is now 8 for 8!

Anyway, after watching how horrendously thuggish Team Oranje played in the finals, I reluctantly rejoiced when Spain midfielder Andres Iniseta sealed their fate with a goal in the 116th minute. Admittedly, my heart stopped when he netted the winning goal, and my fervent hopes for the Dutch underdogs were crushed. With 10 men and 3/4 of the players yellow-carded, the chances of equalising to drag out the match to a 2nd extra-time were second to none.

For Holland, it was an tragic case of three times a bridesmaid, never the bride. They were sooooooooooooooooo close to tasting victory but for some unfortunate stroke of luck, their unbeaten track record since 2008 came to a nasty halt when winning a match mattered most. Blame it on the rough tackles and ugly play of the orange-shirted team. Dutch stars Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie even claimed that referee Howard Webb was biased and favoured the European Champs.

Here are some highlights, or should I say, low points, of the match:

Spain played well, passing the ball accurately and bidding their time. They didn't resort to violence and cleverly waited for the opponents to grow restless and make costly mistakes. And the Dutch, desperate to win, fell into their trap.

In the finale, Holland's Wesley Sneijder and Spain's David Villa (who was substituted by Fernando Torres in extra time) were both denied an opportunity to win the Golden Ball and had to settle with 5 goals each. Uruguay striker Diego Forlan, who also scored 5 goals, won Best Player at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

So Spain is now World Champion and they will get to defend their title in 4 years. And after fighting to stay awake for hours on end to catch the matches, I now have World Cup withdrawal symptoms. I'll be anticipating the adrenaline rush again. Brazil 2014 - I'll be waiting!