Webb later admitted his mistake, claiming he didn’t see the defensive midfielder making contact with Alonso as he was positioned behind him. The deadlock was yet to be broken despite few big chances for both teams.Ī total of 14 yellow cards were dished out by referee Howard Webb in the final, including one where Nigel de Jong should’ve seen red in the first half for a reckless kick on Xabi Alonso’s chest. Spain dominated possession early on while the Dutch team remained compact and relied on counter-attacks whenever Spain lost the ball. The moment of gloryįor all the hype that was built around it, the final against Holland turned out to be a disappointing but ill-tempered affair which went into extra time. In what was a repeat of the Euro 2008 final, Spain managed to contain Joachim Low’s and progressed to the final after a fine Carlos Puyol header in the second half. Next up were Germany, another title contenders, who were on a hot streak having scored the most goals up to that point.
David Villa scored the winner in that game to get the better of their Iberian neighbours and then again, against Paraguay, to take his goal-scoring tally to five at the event. Tougher test lay ahead for Spain, facing Portugal in the quarter-finals. The Spaniards held their nerve to ensure a gritty victory 2-1, with Honduras’ 0-0 draw against Switzerland also sealing Chile’s spot as the second-place team from Group H to qualify. Chile, the team in form, had won both their first two matches and Spain needed a win against the South Americans to get past the group stages. This would be the first time that the winner of the World Cup scored the fewest amount of goals.Īfter the defeat against Switzerland opener, Spain beat Honduras comfortably in their second game but were up against Chile in their final group game. In their last four knockout games, they ground out victories scoring just eight goals from seven matches. The goals tally seemed low scarce despite the quality they boasted in their ranks. Their opening 0-1 group stage loss to Switzerland fuelled those doubts but Del Bosque’s side regrouped, registering scores of 2-0, 2-1, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0. They eventually did, but the road to reach the quarter-finals proved far more difficult. Pitted alongside Chile, Switzerland, and Honduras in Group H, Spain was expected to easily make it past the group stages as toppers. Before the World Cup in South Africa, they had never managed to get past the quarter-final stage. Before the 2010 World Cup, Del Bosque had just suffered one defeat as manager of Spain.īut the World Cup was a different ball game and doubts still remained over La Roja’s ability to lift the title despite a star-studded squad with most players from Real Madrid or Barcelona. Del Bosque had taken over the side before 2008 Euro and led the Spanish side to a perfect run during their qualifying campaign, winning all ten games and finishing a massive 11 points ahead of second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring 28 goals while conceding just five.ĭel Bosque adopted the same philosophy preferred by predecessor Luis Aragones, sticking to quick one-touch passing movements which could help them see more of the ball and control the game. Spain had entered the tournament as European champions and had a brilliant track record.
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