Spain coach Vicente del Bosque praised World Cup final opponents Holland after seeing his side lift football's most illustrious trophy for the first time.
Andres Iniesta's extra-time goal proved enough to give the Spanish a 1-0 win over a robust Dutch side in a contest which saw 14 yellow cards handed out by referee Howard Webb.
But Del Bosque was quick to hail Bert van Marwijk's side, and said: "First of all I should congratulate our opponents. They made it very difficult for us to play comfortably. It's been a very intense match, and congratulations to them."
He added: "(Cesc) Fabregas came on and we began to dominate. We had greater ball possession and depth in our game.
"We created chances for Cesc and David Villa which we could have converted, but that's the way football goes."
Del Bosque said the whole of the country deserved to share in the jubilation.
He continued: "The dressing room is delighted, ecstatic. But Spain, the country, deserves this triumph, this World Cup.
"This goes beyond sport. We have to celebrate. All the people have been behind us in Spain, and we're delighted to reward them with this victory."
Source: PA
