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A 73rd minute header from Carlos Puyol propelled Spain to its first ever World Cup final, as it held off a young German side that should leave with its head held high, despite not being able to reignite the flair that got it this far.
It was undoubtedly Spain’s best performance of the tournament so far.
The passing game remained but it looked more dangerous in the attacking third with Vincent del Bosque opting to go without Fernando Torres up front.
Instead, Pedro came in to play on the left with David Villa moving into the role left vacant by Torres.
For the most part, it appeared the Spanish were playing the common 4-2-3-1 formation with Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets in holding roles.
They dominated possession in the opening quarter of an hour and a fine decision from Manuel Neuer to leave his line after Pedro played a pinpoint pass for Villa prevented the opener.
Puyol showed his threat in the attacking area with the best chance of the first half, but he put his header over.
Germany’s best chances fell for Mesut Ozil – twice.
First, he declined an invitation to hammer a shot with his left foot from outside the area, instead being eventually dispossessed.
The second, he felt he had been brought down by Sergio Ramos in the area on the stroke of half time.
The referee had barely put whistle to mouth in the first 45, so it was no surprise he allowed play to continue – it would have been a big decision in a World Cup semi final.
In reality, Germany’s counter attacking game never clicked into gear with the suspended Thomas Muller severely missed.
It was too slow, partly thanks to Spain having two defensive midfielders.
But if you want to counter, it has to be with forward passes and it wasn’t for the Germans.
When it did work, substitute Toni Kroos, in Muller’s role, lacked the quality finishing touch so often shown by the man he was replacing during this tournament.
Spain’s relentless pressure eventually paid off in the second half.
A corner, which appeared to be defended with a zone rather than man on man, allowed Puyol to steam in from the edge of the area and bury a powerful header.
It was seven against four in the area for the Germans before Puyol made the decisive entry to score what proved to be the winner.
It was just reward for the Spanish, but it also kicked the Germans into some sort of gear.
All of a sudden, Ozil begun running at the defence with the ball at his feet and creating.
The Spanish defence stood tall, aided by a midfield with no fear of retaining possession under pressure.
It should have been 2-0 before the end, but Pedro took one too many touches when he could have fed Torres to seal the game.
Spain deserved its win, but Germany should leave with heads held high.
Joachim Low’s men were the most entertaining in South Africa, scoring four times in a game on three occasions.
At times, their counter attack was a joy to behold against opponents considered heavyweights in England and Argentina.
It wasn’t to be against Spain, the only team to pile on enough pressure to somehow break the defensive midfield pairing of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira.
The fluent passing game of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso was undoubtedly the key with the added ingredient of overlapping fullbacks and beautiful movement off the ball.
Spain will take some dismantling in the final, but kudos to Germany for giving us a thrill.
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