By: Stephen Patterson
Spain is celebrating their first World Cup championship after defeating the Dutch 1-0 in the final game of the 2010 World Cup. The game was won when Andres Iniesta scored the deciding goal in the 116th minute, the latest goal to win a World Cup final game. The Spanish team, coming off their 2008 European title, was one of the favorites from the beginning of the Cup.
The game was a very heated contest, with a finals record 13 yellow cards handed out. The Dutch finished the game with only 10 players after one of their guys was sent off with a red card. The Netherlands once again came painfully close to their elusive first Cup title. They had won every qualifying match and all six previous games in South Africa entering into the game.Spain becomes the first team to win the World Cup after losing their opening game, a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland. David Villa led the way for the Spanish team throughout most of their previous games in this Cup, but today was Iniesta's time to shine. After scoring the game-winning goal, Iniesta took off his jersey and raced to the corner where he was met by his overwhelmed teammates.
