Monday, July 12, 2010
Local News / Sports
Spain 1, Netherlands 0: World Cup Final at Civic Center (Pics)
Posted
By Joe Eskenazi
on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 12:01 AM
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Joe Eskenazi
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You can put away the vuvuzelas now ... and forever
In the world of international soccer -- prior to yesterday -- there were two great hard-luck losers: Spain and Holland. But if Holland were the Red Sox of futility -- they lost the World Cup finals twice before, in '74 and '78 -- then Spain were the Cubs. They never even got in a position to blow it all.
When tiny Andres Iniesta's shot hit the back of the Dutch net in
the 116th minute of yesterday's Cup final, everything changed. If were wearing red, it was a day you'll always remember. If you were wearing orange, it was a day you wish you could forget. There were thousands of both at
San Francisco's Civic Center. Here's what it looked like:
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A very Kuyt kid...
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'If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much...'
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On goes the warpaint -- and another Dutch fan resembles an Oompa-Loompa. Incidentally, the man with the paintbrush was splitting his loyalties: He wore a Barcelona jersey in Dutch orange.
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And the Spanish fans apply the paint as well. All the girls, by the way, love No. 7 David Villa. Lots of the guys, too...
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Incidentally, this was the first World Cup final between two nations allowing same-sex marriage and played in a nation with gay rights enshrined in its constitution. Warrants mentioning.
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Overheard in the crowd: 'I'm rooting for Spain because they look better with their shirts off.' Of course, the 'they' in question were the players, not the fans (no offense, pal -- you look fine).
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Smells like Dutch spirit...
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Scoreless at half, Spain's brain trust attempts to hammer out a winning game plan (or just get hammered)
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With 90 minutes insufficient to decide a champion, the crowd braces for extra time -- and the dreaded specter of a penalty kick shoot-out
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Gol! Gol! Gol! Gol! Gol! Gol! GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL! GOL!
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Goooooooooooooooooal!
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Golazo! Golazo! Goooooooool-azo!
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Holland's fans, like the team itself, look spectacular even in defeat. The Netherlands are now three-time losers in the Cup final. But, four years hence, Holland's time may yet come. Because, after all...
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Every dog has his day.
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Tags: 1-0, Civic Center, Holland, Netherlands, Spain, World Cup, Image
About The Author
Joe Eskenazi
Bio:
Joe Eskenazi was born in San Francisco, raised in the Bay Area, and attended U.C. Berkeley. He never left.
"Your humble narrator" was a staff writer and columnist for SF Weekly from 2007 to 2015.
He resides in the Excelsior with his wife, 4.3 miles from his birthplace and 5,474 from hers.
