07-11-2010, 11:22 PM
It was a tough match for Howard Webb to keep ahold of, but I thought he did okay. It was a very, very physical game, as it seemed the Netherlands' game plan for their thuggish defensive midfielders De Jong and Van Bommel to physically harass Iniesta and Xavi as much as possible. Spain gave it back pretty well themselves through guys like Puyol. This was the exact opposite of the Germany / Spain semifinal where very, very few fouls were committed and I don't remember seeing a single card issued.
The one really blown call I saw was a free kick that should have resulted in a corner kick for the Netherlands but was inexplicably called a goal kick for Spain instead, which eventually led to Iniesta's goal. I assume it was the linesman that missed that one. Well, and De Jong should have drawn a straight red for his kung fu kick to Xabi Alonso's chest. That's the same De Jong that broke Stuart Holden's leg in a friendly earlier this year. That, and he plays his club football for Manchester City so I really, really don't like the guy.
The one really blown call I saw was a free kick that should have resulted in a corner kick for the Netherlands but was inexplicably called a goal kick for Spain instead, which eventually led to Iniesta's goal. I assume it was the linesman that missed that one. Well, and De Jong should have drawn a straight red for his kung fu kick to Xabi Alonso's chest. That's the same De Jong that broke Stuart Holden's leg in a friendly earlier this year. That, and he plays his club football for Manchester City so I really, really don't like the guy.