SPAIN WORLD CUP WINNERS 2010: What a journey

What can you say after that last week and a half? Spain are 2010 World Champions! Spain won the World Cup! After that corker of a game against Portugal we had Paraguay. A heart attack of a game. Spain were average by their own standards but they were made to look poor (I say that relatively speaking!) by a hard-working and determined Paraguay side. That match really could have gone either way. Luckily San Iker was on hand with a penalty save and a last minute block from Roque Santa Cruz. David Villa got the late winner once more.

Next up in the semis was many peoples new favorites. Germany. Spain was simply magnificent that night. They didnt give Germany a chance. Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets played blinders. The passing was as crisp and accurate as it's ever been. Germany were passed off the park with Spain reaching their first ever World Cup final thanks to a bullet header from Carlos Puyol. A flying ball of muscle and hair that the German defence left completely unmarked at a late corner. The country erupted. The real Spain had come to town. Just when it mattered most.

Then the final. Spain v Holland. Not a great match, thanks largely to some unorthodox tackling from Mark Van Bommel and Nigel de Jong. Spain showed glimpses of their quality but by the end of 90 minutes it was Arjen Robben who was left to rue two failed one on ones with Iker Casillas. The first was a sensational stop from Iker. For me it was as important if not more so than the late winner that would be provided by little Andres Iniesta. Extra time was simply unbearable. Penalites loomed, until sub Cesc Fabregas slipped in Iniesta and the rest is history. Literally. Spains first ever World Cup triumph. The first time a European team has won the World Cup outside of Europe. In a repeat of Vienna two summers ago Iker Casillas stood reached to the skies with silverware (or should it be goldenware) in his hands. What a moment for Spanish Football.

I was lucky enough to watch the match in Cádiz. Was an unbelievable atmosphere with everyone, myself included, treating themselves to a post-match dip in the sea once the trophy had been passed over by Señor Blatter. Then the party really kicked in as it suddenly hit home that Spain had actually won the World Cup. An unforgettable night. Yesterday saw the squad wind their way through a fan-filled Madrid before Pepe Reina, Spains very own master of ceremonies, took to the mike infront of thousands of fans in what is becoming a biannual celebration. Too much to say, too little time, but I hope you all enjoyed what turned out to be a fantastic World Cup. Only a few weeks and we'll have La Liga back in action ;) Some videos for you to enjoy including the highlights of the final, Ikers special post-match kiss with girlfriend/journalist Sara Carbonera and Pepe Reinas fantastic introduction to Spain 2010.

SPAIN 1-0 PORTUGAL: David Villa shoots Spain past Portugal into the quarters (Highlights)

Fantastic performance. By far Spains most complete at the World Cup so far. Portugal set out to stem Spains passing in midfield, flood the centre of the park, and break out on the counter in the sort of devastating fashion that saw them flash seven past North Korea. Unfortunately for Carlos Quieroz and his team, Spain are not North Korea. Not even close. Today they were the same lean mean passing machine that we fell in love with in Austria and Switzerland two summers ago. Xavi was back to his mesmerising best. Xavi Alonso and Sergio Buequets were tireless behind him. Iniesta and especially David Villa buzzed around with menacing intent. The backline was simply impenetrable. Is there a better centre-back pairing at the World Cup than Pique and Puyol?

The only player to raise question marks was Fernando Torres. 'El Niño' is a shade of the player that lights up the Premiership weekend after weekend. Balls bounce of his ankles. He runs up blind alleys. He just looks clumsy. Will the real Fernando Torres please stand up? Perhaps it's simply another case of a star underperforming in the World Cup. There have been plenty. But luckily for Spain, Fernando Llorente was ushered onto the pitch after the hour, and the big man made all the difference. Suddenly Portugals defence looked uncertain. Hesitant. And how 'La Roja' made them pay. Llorente had already had a golden chance to open the scoring from point-blank range, but his header was straight at the impressive Eduardo. Then David Villa struck. Who else? It was a typically-Spanish move. One touch, superb movement off the ball, and 'El Guaje' to finish it off. The final 20 minutes would normally be a nervous affair, but bar a couple of hairy moments, and a dubious sending off for  Spain looked incredibly assured. No team is as comfortable on the ball as the Spaniards.

So next up Paraguay, and you would have to think an easy ticket to the semis. No team should be underestimated...especially after recent results against the United States and Switzerland. But we are at th business end of the tournament now, and Spain are clicking into gear at just the right time. I just cannot see a limited Paraguay side causing an upset. So whilst the fans at home go crazy, Del Bosque and his backroom team would do well to concentrate their efforts on working out how they can edge past their illustrious South American rivals (with all the respect int the world for an electric, youthful German outfit that put my country to the sword so ruthlessly), as I firmly believe (like everyone else!) they will need to beat Argentina and Brazil to lift the World Cup. Both teams look efficient. Both look very very strong. We have some belters to look forward to! VAMOS ESPAÑA!!

PS. Pardon my inexcusable lack of a match report for Spain - Chile. Momentary lapse! :) Basically they played well, Villa and Iniesta scored two beauties and they qualified for the second round!

SPAIN 2 - 0 HONDURAS - David Villa double sets Spain on their way (Highlights)

Thats more like it. Substance to match the style. Goals to match the build-up. Spain blew Honduras away with their attacking, incisive brand of football, but they were indebted to two pieces of clinical finishing from David Villa to grab them the three points they so desparately craved. After a spritely start from the Hondureños, the game slowly grew into a practice match for Spain. But much like Arsenal in the Premiership they tried many times to walk the ball into the net instead of shooting on sight, which inevitably lead to a scoreline which flattered the Central Americans. Vicente Del Bosque changed things around after the shock Swiss defeat, and it worked wonders as Spain looked more like the side that waltzed to victory in Vienna than the one which laboured to wins over South Korea and Saudi Arabia and got beat by Switzerland.

Xavi and Xavi Alonso were superb at the heart of Spains 4-3-3 formation, with Sergio Busquets perfomingly admirably just behind them. I've been a long-standing critic of Busquets, but on this form he more than warrants a slot in the first XI. And with the midfield, minus poor David Silva who seems set for a spell as a sub, clicking into place Spain ravaged a limited yet surprisingly adventurous Honduras side, who were not afraid to knock it around and attack with intent. It could so easily have been six or seven had Fernando Torres not left his shooting boots in Liverpool and Jesus Navas his crossing boots in Sevilla. Not their finest nights, but Torres will be glad to gain some much-needed match time, while Navas was a constant thorn in Honduras' side, regardless of his wastefulness with his final ball.

Sergio Ramos fluffed a couple of chances. Villa smashed the bar with a first-half rocket. Spain had two legitimate penalties for handball turned down and one stroked wide. Cesc Fabregas had a shot cleared off the line seconds after replacing Xavi in the secon half. It really was incessant pressure from La Roja, but they'll be hoping these chances are converted if they beat Chile and make it through to the second round. Profligacy on this scale will be punished in the latter stages. Just as well David Villa scored two beauties either side of half time, the first an absolute peach of a finish after a glorious run into the box. The new Barca striker was a revelation down the left hand side. His second was thanks to a flowing team move involving Xavi and Navas, and took a slight deflection as it shot past keeper Noel Valladares.

So a win against Chile should see Spain top the group and all memories of that opening defeat erased. That said, I can't say I'm as certain now about Spain winning the tournament as I was before it all kicked off. Brazil, while not playing well, look dangerously efficient, with Argentina and Portugal also offering scintillating performances in their second outings. I have an inkling a South American team will walk away as winners. But this tournament, which has fired up in the last few days, is about as unpredictable as any in living memory. The knockout stages promise to offer up a few crackers but first the nervy third round of group matches. I predict a few big guns to fall.

Spain 0 - 1 Switzerland: La Roja kick off World Cup with shock Swiss defeat (Highlights)

Who saw that coming? Spain kicked off their World Cup campaign in the most disappointing of fashions as they were downed by a hit and run show from Switzerland. Spain enjoyed a healthy 73% possession, yet a whole host of wasted chances and failed final passes allowed the Swiss to mount a couple of second-half counters that created the only goal of the match from Gelson Fernandes and almost saw their second as a splendid run and shot from Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok rebounded off the foot of the post. Where did it all go wrong? To be honest the Spanish experienced more than a fair share of misfortune. Several chances flying inches wide or, in the case of Xavi Alonsos thunderbolt, crashing against the crossbar. A couple of decisions from Howard Webb went against them, but by no means read anything into the press' post-match witchhunt against the English ref. A shameful attempt to gloss over Spains failings. And then you have that wily old fox, Ottmar Hitzfeld. The ex-Bayern managers tactics were spot on. Round up Xavi Hernandez and you take away Spains heartbeat. Run and defend as if your life depends on it, soak up some intense pressure and hit your opponent on the break and you've always got a chance. The Swiss deserve huge credit.

So let's move onto the Alonso-Busquets dilemma. While the rest of Spain believes that the two cannot start in the same XI, Del Bosque continues to employ them in a five-man midfield. Both play the role that Marcos Senna so admirably carried out in Euro 2008. Break up the play and start attacks. So why start with both? Surely the way forward would be to stick Xavi Alonso between midfield and defence and stick Busquets on the bench, freeing up a position which could be filled by Cesc Fabregas, or start with two upfront bringing Fernando Torres into the equation. In any case, todays midfield line-up looked a little confused, short of ideas and lacking their usual sharpness. Roles were not clearly defined. Andres Iniesta was a constant threat but his influence was nullified out wide. David Villa was out of sorts and even Torres looked decidedly rusty when he came on. Anyhows, it's not the end of the world. Better lose now with two games left then fall at the last group hurdle. Victories against Chile and Honduras will see them through, but a second round match-up against Brazil is looking increasingly likely. That said, if you want to win the World Cup, you'll have to knock out the big guns sooner or later.

So far I have to say this World Cup, in terms of quality, is one of the worst I can remember. USA '94 wasn't great, but at least it had Romario, Roberto Baggio and Ray Houghton in their prime. All excelled in their national teams. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo just look lost. France, Portugal, Italy, England, Argentina and Brazil all looked poor, while only a youthful Germany looked anything like world beaters in their match against the Aussies. Heres hoping things heat up now we've got the nervy openers out of the way.