So many World Cup finals are dark affairs, with one shadow or another looming over them. This final had no taunting or head-butting like the last one; no team played with an undetected Hand of God in its very recent past.
  And in the long run, the very long run, this final did not end with the gloomy coup de grâce of penalty kicks. Instead, it had two crack teams, two grand soccer traditions, testing each other for a very long time until overdue Spain defeated the overdue Netherlands, 1-0, with a goal by Andrés Iniesta in the 116th minute, that is, four minutes away from the dreaded penalty kicks.