Dutch defender John Heitenga was sent off the field during______. [br] [origina

In a foul plagued World Cup final. Andres lniesta was the big hero for Spain. The Barcelona midfielder collected a sliding pass from substitute Cesc Fabregas and shot the ball past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg in the 116th minute of extra time.
    The Dutch tried to slow Spain’s passing game with rough, physical play. English referee Howard Webb, a former policeman, showed eight yellow cards to Dutch players, and (14) Dutch defender John Heitenga was sent off the field during extra time. But Spain received its share of yellow cards-five-making this what’s being described as "the dirtiest" World Cup final in history.
    Spain is only the third team, after Germany and France, to be world and European champion at the same time. With Victory, Spain snaped the 25 match unbeaten streak by the Netherlands.
    Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk was gracious in defeat.
    A crowd of more than 84, 000 people attended the World Cup final here at Soccer City Stadium. Overall, more than three million fans attended matches during the month-long tournament, making this the third most well-attended World Cup in history, (15) behind Germany 2006 and the record-setting USA tournament in 1994.
    Before the World Cup final kick off, a colorful 30-minute closing ceremony was held that featured fireworks, lasers, elephants and some of Arica’s top singers and dancers.
    South Africa’s former President Nelson Mandela, who will celebrate his 92nd birthday July 18, made a brief appearance after the ceremony, waving to the crowd from a motorized cart.