Spain has won three straight 1-0 contests with Iker Casillas in goal.
The 2010 World Cup finale between Netherlands and Spain will be a groundbreaking matchup in more ways than one. This marks the first time the tournament has been held in Africa, pitting two countries in the final that are widely considered the best nations that have never won soccer’s biggest prize.
A European team has never won the World Cup outside of Europe, and this will be the first final not to feature Argentina, Brazil, Germany or Italy. Netherlands remain the only team with a perfect record this tournament, and enter Sunday’s finale riding a 10-game winning streak along with a 25-game unbeaten stretch. A team hasn’t gone through the World Cup with an unblemished record since Pele led Brazil to the 1970 title.
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The Spaniards opened the World Cup as 7/2 soccer betting favorites to win it all, slightly ahead of Brazil at 5/1. Coach Vicente del Bosque’s team is trying to become the first country since West Germany in 1972 and 1974 to hold the European Championship and World Cup titles at the same time.
Spain is also attempting to become the first team to ever drop its opening game of the tournament and win the World Cup.
Don Best Sports installed Spain as the 180 favorite (bet 180 to win 100) over Netherlands, the 150 underdog (bet 100 to win 150). The total is currently listed at two goals (the 'over' minus 115).
ABC Sports will provide coverage of Sunday’s World Cup finale beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET from Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fourth-ranked Netherlands punched its ticket to the final after outlasting Uruguay in Tuesday’s semifinal, 3-2. The Dutch started the scoring in the 18th minute when 35-year-old captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst connected on one of the best goals of the tournament. The defender booted a beautiful strike from 42 yards out that nailed the top corner of the goal.
Uruguay tied the game just before halftime when striker Diego Forlan scored outside the box at the 41-minute mark. The Dutch appeared to be in control of the second half, getting goals from Wesley Sneijder at the 70th minute and Arjen Robben three minutes later. However, they were were unable to celebrate early due to Uruguay’s Maxi Pereira netting a goal in the 90th minute.
Second-ranked Spain has beaten its three opponents in the knockout stages by identical 1-0 scores, dispatching Portugal in the Round of 16, Paraguay in the quarterfinals and Germany in the semis. When Spain beat Germany on Wednesday, it marked the 42nd consecutive contest that the Spanish won after taking a 1-0 lead, a streak that dates back to 2006.
Spain has just seven goals this tournament (Netherlands has 12), but the team continues to advance. ‘La Furia Roja’ pressured Germany the entire match, and got the lone goal in the 73rd minute from a Carles Puyol header. Spain had 13 shots during the game, five on goal while limiting Germany to just five shots (two on goal).
The Spanish also enjoyed a slight advantage on corner kicks (7-6), with the game’s only goal coming off of a corner. Wednesday’s victory marked the 29th game this tournament decided by one goal, the most of any World Cup.
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Netherlands defender Nigel de Jong should be back in the starting lineup after missing the semifinal match with Uruguay due to yellow-card infractions. Backup Demy De Zeeuw played well in de Jong’s absence, but suffered some damaged teeth after getting kicked in the face in the first half. Rafael van der Vaart replaced De Zeeuw after the break.
If possession is 9/10th of the law, then Spain could very well be on its way to winning its first World Cup. The team dominates time of possession, controlling the ball 61 percent of the time against Portugal, 60 percent versus Paraguay and just 51 percent against Germany. Spain has completed an incredible 3,000 passes this tournament, joining Brazil’s 1994 championship team and Netherlands in 1998 as the only teams to accomplish that feat at the World Cup.
Netherlands advanced to World Cup finales in 1974 and 1978 before losing to hosts West Germany and Argentina respectively. The only major championship that Netherlands has claimed in its history remains the 1988 European Championship.
Spain has never advanced to a World Cup final before now. In fact ‘La Furia Roja’ has been considered a chronic underachiever on soccer’s biggest stage, advancing to the quarterfinals just three times since 1962. Spain is always among the favorites heading into the tournament behind one of the world’s best domestic leagues, La Liga. Many Spanish stars fill the rosters of the league’s top-two teams, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Another side note to Sunday’s finale is the battle for the World Cup’s Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament’s top goal scorer. Netherland’s playmaker Wesley Sneijder and Spain’s David Villa each have scored five goals, and the winner of this award will also most likely help his country to its first-ever World Cup championship.
Despite the close proximity of the two countries, there really isn’t too much history between the teams. In nine previous matches between Netherlands and Spain, the record is 4-4 with one draw.
Sunday’s forecast for Johannesburg calls for mostly sunny skies, with a high of 65 degrees and a low of 43.