Thaindian News

Johannesburg, July 12 (DPA) Spain’s victorious coach, Vicente del Bosque, proved to be the real winner of Sunday’s World Cup final against the Netherlands as he refused to dwell on some of the over-the-top tackles of the Netherlands.
“I am here to speak about the good, beautiful things of football. It was rough at times but that’s football,” insisted del Bosque as he addressed a post-match press conference.

The 59-year-old tried everything to stay clear of commenting on the strong-arm tactics of the Dutch which earned them eight bookings including a sending-off for John Heitinga.

The former Real Madrid supremo would rather acknowledge the fact that their World Cup final foes made it very difficult for them to clinch their first-ever global championship.

“To keep up with the pace the Dutch set for 90 minutes was very difficult. My players were quite tired at the very end but I think we dominated the match,” said the mild-mannered del Bosque, who always cut a picture of a gentleman at his press conferences in South Africa, in defeat and in victory.

The quiet man triumphed as Andres Iniesta’s extra-time winner proved the difference against the Netherlands.

“Spain, the country, deserves the reward of this World Cup. This goes beyond sport. We were celebrated throughout Spain,” he remarked.

Del Bosque’s Dutch opposite number, Bert van Marwijk, on the other hand, has been curt when he has addressed the media and he argued after his team’s narrow loss that Englishman Howard Webb did not controlled the game.

“I don’t think the referee controlled the game well,” said the former Feyenoord coach.

“It’s very disappointing, we came so close.”

“I had really thought that, even with 10 players we could make it to the penalty shootout and with a great goalkeeper in Maarten Stekelenburg.”

Van Marwijk also defended his team’s robust style Sunday.

“It’s not our style to commit horrible fouls, it’s not our kind of football,” he insisted. “I think both sides, also Spain, committed terrible fouls.

“It’s still our intention to play beautiful football but we were also facing a very good opponent. We really wanted to win it and could have won it.”

He added: “(the bad football) was regrettable for a final. That’s not our style but you do play a final to win. And I would have loved to win the match even with not so beautiful football.”

It was the third World Cup final loss by the Dutch after they also failed to win the coveted trophy in 1974 and 1978.