World Cup Football tournament at South Africa

SPAIN CROWNED WORLD CHAMPIONS
Spain team won its first World Cup when Andres Iniesta scored an extra—time goal in a 1—0 win over the Netherlands. A late goal from Andrés Iniesta gave Spain victory over Holland at the death of a cynical and ill-tempered final.

Spain, long tagged a perennial underachiever before winning the 2008 European Championship to end a 44—year title drought, had never before gone past the quarterfinals. The team finished fourth at the 1950 World Cup when the playoff system was different.
A deafening roar rose from Madrid, including the sound of blaring vuvuzuela horns imported from South Africa, when captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas lifted the World Cup trophy at Soccer City.
The mayhem and nastiness of the occasion was an encumbrance for Spain, who will have visualised a wholly different type of game. It was potentially unsettling that victory should be seen as their destiny considering that they had never even reached the final before. Vicente del Bosque's side, for that matter, have developed a highly individual style founded on exceptional technique that exhausts and demoralises opponents as a midfield of supreme artistry confisca tes the ball.


Forlan gets Golden Ball, Mueller wins Golden Shoe

Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has been awarded the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player, and Germany forward Thomas Mueller won the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.
Forlan was voted the most outstanding player of the tournament by accredited media after leading his team to the semi-finals.
The 20-year-old Mueller, who helped Germany take third place with his five goals and three assists, also won the Best Young Player award. Forlan, Spain striker David Villa and Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder also scored five times but each had one assist. Villa and Sneijder both failed to score in Sunday’s final, won 1-0 by Spain.
Spain’s Iker Casillas won the Golden Glove as the top goalkeeper.