And then there were two.
The world was taken over by a month-long soccer epidemic. But unfortunately, the World Cup must come to an end sometime.That time is Sunday.Throughout the 80-year history of the World Cup, the tournament has been run 19 times and has crowned seven different countries as champs.Thirty-two teams arrived in South Africa a month ago, all hoping to write history and make their countries proud. And while only one can leave a winner, this one is special.This is the first World Cup held in Africa, and regardless of the outcome of the final, a new country will hoist the trophy.
Spain have yet to make an appearance in the World Cup final and have only finished in the top four once in history, in 1950. The Netherlands made it to the final in back to back World Cups in 1974 and 1978, losing to West Germany and Argentina, respectfully.
Both countries have fought and clawed their way through the competition, and both are hungry for their first World Cup title.
Many doubted Spain and its talent-loaded lineup after a 1-0 loss to Switzerland in its opening game. The Spanish rebounded strongly, winning the next two group games to come out on top of Group H, and of course, have run the table since then.
On the other hand, the Dutch haven’t lost a match since an international friendly Sept. 6, 2008, against Australia. The Dutch defense has stepped up big time in the tournament, and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has been a stud between the posts.
Both countries are in solid form and both are poised to win it all. The game is sure to be a 90-minute battle, and an outcome is extremely tough to predict.
Looking at the matchup on paper, I’m inclined to lean toward the Dutch. The striking force of the Oranje just seems unfair, and with Stekelenburg looking like a brick wall in the net, it’s hard to see the Dutch losing.
But if there is one team that can out-dazzle the Dutch … it’s Spain.With all-stars at every position, the Spanish are never easy to beat. Yes, they lost to Switzerland, and yes, even the lowly Americans out-did them in 2009. But when Spain is in true form and playing to its full capacity, I don’t think there’s a team in the country that could beat them.The match is going to be an intriguing one. Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas is unquestionably one of the best in the world, and as mentioned, Stekelenburg is at the top of his game.
On the other end, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder and Spanish striker David Villa are fighting for the golden boot, an honor given to the top goal-scorer in the World Cup. With each having five goals apiece, this game could very well determine who takes home those honors.As tough as it is to pick a winner, the deed must be done. But it will take more than the allotted 90 minutes to determine the champion.After full time, stoppage time and two rounds of extra time, we’re going to see a repeat of the 2006 World Cup — a game decided by penalty kicks. And in their first ever World Cup final appearance, Spain will defeat the Netherlands to win the World Cup.
Whew. With that toughie out of the way, the other game of the weekend doesn’t seem as difficult to call. Germany will face Uruguay on Saturday in the consolation third-place game.As much as I like Uruguay’s underdog story and as big of a Diego Forlan fan as I am, I can’t see Uruguay coming out on top in this one. Germany is too fast and too strong and has probably been the most complete team this tournament.German striker Miroslav Klose will score two goals in his last World Cup game to surpass Brazil legend Ronaldo’s World Cup scoring record of 15 goals.–
Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]