Spain started off better, but after a while the Netherlands freed themselves from "The Red Fury's" pressure. They were playing extremely aggressively, adding up the yellow cards as the game went on. Van Persie tripped his opponent, Capdevila, but shortly afterward, Spain's Puyol returned the favor, giving the Netherlands a free kick where the ball was aimed right for the goalkeeper's hands. Their player, Van Bommel also tripped his opponent. Spain's Ramos was yellow-carded, yet Oranje player De Jong kicked his opponent's chest soon after, a foul that some think should have resulted in a red card. Spain's goalie made a number of brilliant saves, one where he jumped over a Netherlands player, knocking him down to the ground. The Netherlands then missed a penalty shot. Spain's Capdevila received a yellow card after he elbowed his opponent's back. David Villa also missed a free kick. Netherlands player Robben was yellow-carded as well.
Venezuelan Ricardo Montiel and his family ended their Disneyland Resort vacation by watching the final match at ESPN Zone. He and his family were some of the last few people that were allowed inside the crowded viewing room and had to stand the entire time. Montiel, a supporter of Spain said, "I know Spain can win, they have demonstrated since the Euro Cup that they are a great team." Montiel felt Spain had more control in the beginning of the first half but towards the end, Holland dominated. At halftime Montiel predicted 2-1 Spain as the outcome of the game.
Holland fan, Ali Naqvi, an Irvine-resident, predicted his team would pick up in the second half, joking that the score would end up being 9-0 Netherlands, but soon changing that guess to 2-1. He has been "religiously" following the World Cup. Commenting on the Netherlands, Naqvi said, "They've had a really strong lineup, they've had really good games, great formation, they played total football...I think if they can keep their nerves together the second half should be interesting and they should take it, they should go all the way." Naqvi was confident that Holland would win, noting, "I think in the end, it's always like a sneak-attack from the Dutch that wins them through...they're going to make a Dutch oven out of the Spanish I think." It is tradition for Naqvi to watch the World Cup final at ESPN Zone: "It's probably the best place to watch a final...you get here early, you get good seats and you always find supporters for both sides and it turns into a pretty interesting spectacle." He played in Spain for a few years and used to play for some football leagues in London while he was living in England. If Holland had ended up winning, Naqvi would have flown out to Amsterdam to celebrate.
Two Polish friends were each rooting for opposite teams, predicting that the score would be 1-0 either way. California State University, Long Beach alumni, Bob Sobanski was supporting the Netherlands, knowing that they would be in the final after defeating Brazil. However, he predicted Spain would win, since "they are motivated by the money...they are going to receive about half a million dollars if they win." Spain-supporter, Czarek "Chuck" Walczuk commented that the match had "very good defense, very good attack" and that both teams have got "nothing to risk." He believed that the game included too many yellow cards, but the ref was "doing the right thing." Sobanski thought the referee went by the rules too often: "It's the World Cup, c'mon, give us a break!" Sobanski predicted Germany to be in the finals, since the team has three Polish players, but was happy for their third place ranking, as well.
Dulce Serrano, from Anaheim said, "They always said Spain was barely making it...they defeated Germany, they had the game overall and tonight we did the same thing." Serrano was originally rooting for Mexico, but switched her support to Spain, since she has Spanish decendancy. She was just one of the fans who trusted Paul the octopus: "Spain all the way!" Alberto Rodriguez, also from Anaheim thought "it was a well-deserved win," noting that Spain "fought hard every single game." He was extremely happy for Spain: "It was about time...they were bound to win."
Spanish fan and Orange County-resident, David Merlan believed the Netherlands were "hands-down, hands-off one of the best teams out there that [Spain] had to compete against." Playing soccer and watching the tournaments since he was five-years-old, Merlan said, "It was definitely the hottest game I've ever seen in any World Cup." He predicted Spain would be in the final: "It was only a matter of time." He noted that Spain's strategy was to keep the ball in their possession and away from Holland's defensive players. Merlan comes to ESPN Zone for all of the big games and events they hold.
