Sporting Madness

Spain - the Netherlands Score: 1-0, ESP My prediction: 2-1, NED From a strictly on-the-pitch perspective, the World Cup Final was rather a disappointment in my view. Different tactics appeal to different people, so it might have proved entertaining to some, but Spain and the Netherlands both opted for defence over attack, and the result was a game without a lot of the offensive play or scoring chances I tend to enjoy. Midfield play predominated, the yellow cards piled up and the game didn't really get anywhere during the 90 minutes of regulation time. The Netherlands probably had the best chances, but they came on the counterattack against the run of play and were thwarted relatively easily by Spanish keeper Iker Casillas . Extra time saw much of the same old song and dance, but the game took a different turn when referee Howard Webb gave Dutch defender John Heitinga a second yellow card in the 109th minute. Spain picked up the pace with the man advantage, and they finall...

I've been doing previews of every World Cup game in the last few rounds. Here's the conclusion of the series, on today's final between Spain and the Netherlands, which will be televised today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) on CBC. Spain: Record:(W-L-D) 5-1-0 GF: 7 GA: 2 Top scorer: David Villa , five goals The Netherlands: Record: 6-0-0 GF: 12 GA: 5 Top scorer: Wesley Sneijder , five goals Try your luck at sports betting ! This final should be interesting. It features two teams that haven't been overly dominant during this tournament, but they're the only ones still standing. The Netherlands have been purely efficient, winning all six of their matches, but they've had some close calls. Perhaps the closest came against Uruguay in the semifinals , where the South Americans came within one on a late goal and then had several chances to tie the match. However, the Dutch also only beat Brazil and Slovakia by one. They'v...