World Cup Final: The Beautiful Ugly Game

As our country slowly begins to embrace a sport that continually confounds us, this 2010 World Cup did not make things any easier for us. Awful officiating calls throughout the tourney infuriated us almost as much as the refusal of FIFA to look into the same replay technology that most of our sports have already embraced.

The United States gave us a deliriously dramatic escape into the round of 16, only to succumb again to their bewildering Achilles' heel of giving up the early goal against underdog Ghana; not once, but twice when you count the early minutes of extra time. Missed offsides calls were a plenty and the most memorable moments of the knockout stages involved a hand ball and a botched penalty kick. And then there was the final.

Perhaps because it is called the beautiful game it is expected to play out as such on the grandest stage. The final between the expected Spaniards and the surprise Netherlands hardly played out as such. This caused some anger and disappointment from soccer fans at all the physical play and yellow cards accumulated by both teams, but particularly the Dutch. The chances were limited, the play was ugly, and players on both sides took turns writhing around on the pitch.

For the Netherlands, their record 9 yellow cards were all part of the game plan. They had decided their best chance to shut down Spain's explosive and artistic passing attack was to play brutish Jordan Rules-style soccer and slow the game down. Can't say that I blame them. This was a calculated risk that gave Holland the best chance to win, one that many teams in many sports in our country's history had managed with mixed success. We understand this; winning justifies all with few exceptions.

While the game's artistry suffered, what ensued was a brutally epic battle of wills fit for NFL Films, complete with sliding tackles set to dramatic violin. The coup-de-grace of such a montage would be Nigel De Jong's leaping kick directly to the chest of Spain's Xabi Alonso that somehow only warranted a yellow card from the official.

Scoring chances were few, far between, and increasingly tension wrought as the game wore on. While the Netherlands may have been the weaker team, they had the best scoring chance in regulation time; a beautiful ball from Wesley Sneijder in the 62nd minute to a streaking Arjen Robben with only the keeper Casillas to beat. Coming out to challenge the attacker, the goalkeeper dove left as the shot came to his right, scarcely deflecting off his feet and out of play. Robben would be denied again by Casillas in the 83rd minute, with help from two stingy Spanish defenders draped behind him like a cape.

Those of us who remember the World Cup Final of 1994 remember there was an emptiness to it. Sure, the goal-less drought was exciting, but when this extended all the way to the penalty-kick shootout, it sparked debate as to whether this was the right way, the fair way to determine the winner of such a grandiose competition. Not only that, but the main image worth remembering from that was Italian star Roberto Baggio's ugly miss over the crossbar that ended the match and gave Brazil the win. If something did not change in extra time, Sunday's final was heading towards that direction again.

Holland's choice to play the Bad Boys of soccer for one night finally caught up to them in the 109th minute when John Heitinga committed his second yellow-card foul of the match on Andres Iniesta. The ensuing 11 vs. 10 advantage changed the dynamic of the game's final 10 minutes of extra time in favor of Spain, with the Netherlands desperately clinging to a tie and those dreaded penalty kicks to decide things.

Yet the Spanish midfielder who drew the foul was far from done dealing damage to Holland's hopes of their first title. Seven minutes later, a fortuitous Dutch deflection of a Spanish crossing pass went to Cesc Fabregas just outside the penalty area. His ball to the right side of the box was popped up and played on a hop by Iniesta before his wicked finishing boot one hopped the ground and found the far side of the net in the 116th minute, setting off a wild Spanish celebration, only the least of which took place on the pitch. The eternal and often spiritual cry of "GOOOOAAALLL!" has never been more appropriate or more poignant.

After 115 minutes of brutal, eyesore soccer, the world finally came across the moment that made it all worthwhile; the very definition of what ESPN likes to call the "Ultimate Highlight." This lone goal was spectacular, dramatic, and truly meaningful. The shot gave Spain their first Cup and denied the Netherlands their first in their third try. It also spared us the penalty kick format and instead gave us the best ending to a World Cup Final one could ever hope for.

After 40 years, and 120-plus agonizing minutes of waiting, the euphoric fans of Spain could care less if the final was ugly. One would have to think any fan of sports that saw that moment would have to feel the same way.