Del Bosque: Spanish flair will last forever
Reuters - Sunday 11 July 2010, 22:47
JOHANNESBURG - Spain's creative passing
game and flair will continue to dominate world football, coach
Vicente del Bosque said after his team clinched their first
World Cup with a rugged 1-0 win over Netherlands on Sunday.
The game may have been anything but elegant with 13 yellow
cards and one red card for Dutchman John Heitinga, but Del
Bosque said Spain had been true to their nature and played with
flair throughout the tournament.
"I think our effort, our flair ... is never ending, that
will last forever. We have excellent players in this squad and
they demonstrate that every time they go on the pitch," Del
Bosque told reporters.
"Netherlands played a good game. I mean, yes, it was rough
but that is part of football. I think in this final we saw
offensive football. Both sides were pressing."
Andres Iniesta grabbed the winner for Spain four minutes
from the end of extra time as the game edged towards penalties
with Netherlands reduced to 10 men after Heitinga was sent off
with a second booking in the first half of extra time.
The Spaniards made few changes from their 2008 Euro
Championship triumph and when Del Bosque took over after that
win he made sure his players knew he was determined to follow
the line set by his predecessor Luis Aragones.
"This World Cup title does draw from what we did in 2008,"
he said.
"It is the continuity and continuation of players who were
on that squad. We have a very good legacy and tried to respect
that legacy.
"We simply followed on the lines of what was done back then.
We only brought some players in to the squad to refresh it,"
said Del Bosque.
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