This was not going to be easy for anyone, not with the two best teams never to have won a World Cup squaring off in the final.

And so it was fitting that it took extra time for a country that has spent 80 frustrating years trying to get the decisive goal for the world championship in the sport it loves more than any other.

With a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands that sent its citizens around the world into a frenzy, Spain claimed its first World Cup. The long goal came in the 116th minute, on a controversial goal off the right foot of barely on-side Andrés Iniesta that Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg got his left hand on but not with enough power to keep it out of the net. In a fitting end to a tournament marred by refereeing blunders, Dutch players pleaded with the officials to whistle Mr. Iniesta offside, but the flag never rose.

The goal came while the Dutch had only 10 men, after defender John Heitinga was sent off in the 109th minute with his second yellow - one of nine Dutch yellows in the match. In suffering their first loss in 25 competitive matches, the Netherlands became the first Cup team to lose a final after winning all previous games in the tournament.

Spain's win puts an exclamation point on the country's emergence as a sports superpower that began nearly two decades ago at the Barcelona Olympics and is culminating this summer. For the Netherlands, playing in its third final and its first in 32 years, the loss meant more heartbreak for a nation credited with bringing speed, beauty and flow to modern soccer.

Like every World Cup final, this was epic night for the sport. But it was also the first final on the African continent, and if any of the 84,490 fans at Soccer City forgot that this was more than a game, they were reminded of its meaning a little more than an hour before kickoff.

South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, made a rare public appearance. Seeming cheerful but frail, the 91-year old Mr. Mandela was whisked around the stadium in a cart as both he and his third wife Graça Machel waved to the crowd.

The former president helped lobby for South Africa to host the World Cup, but this was his first appearance at the tournament. An expected appearance at the opening match a month ago was cancelled after Mr. Mandela's great-granddaughter was killed in a car accident. Mr. Mandela's presence could be felt throughout the World Cup, as Africans of all colors adopted his cause and used the event as a way to declare a kind of legitimacy for this country and this continent.

Three hours later, under fireworks and confetti, it was the Spanish team's turn to wave and dance across the grass like the kings of the sports world they have become.

Matthew Futterman

• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)
• barely [´beəli] ad.公开地；仅仅 (初中英语单词)
• whistle [´wisəl] v.吹哨 n.口哨；汽笛 (初中英语单词)
• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)
• previous [´pri:viəs] a.先，前，以前的 (初中英语单词)
• continent [´kɔntinənt] n.大陆，陆地 (初中英语单词)
• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)
• tournament [´tuənəmənt] n.比赛，锦标赛 (高中英语单词)
• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
• decisive [di´saisiv] a.决定性的，确定的 (英语四级单词)
• championship [´tʃæmpiənʃip] n.拥护；奋斗；锦标赛 (英语四级单词)
• frenzy [´frenzi] n.&vt.(使)狂乱 (英语四级单词)
• defender [di´fendə] n.保卫者；辩护者 (英语四级单词)
• competitive [kəm´petitiv] a.竞争的，比赛的 (英语四级单词)
• winning [´winiŋ] n.&a.胜利(的) (英语四级单词)
• exclamation [,eksklə´meiʃən] n.喊(惊)叫；感叹词 (英语四级单词)
• seeming [´si:miŋ] a.表面上的 n.外观 (英语四级单词)
• fitting [´fitiŋ] a.适当的 n.试衣 (英语六级单词)
• fireworks [´faiəwə:ks] n.爆竹，焰火 (英语六级单词)