Vicente del Bosque says Spain were given a thorough examination by Holland in the World Cup final.
Spain boss delighted his side edged out the dogged Dutch
Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque has admitted his side were given a thorough examination by Holland in the World Cup final.
The Spanish emerged victorious in the showpiece following Andres Iniesta's strike in 116th minute of the clash.
But prior to Iniesta's winning goal, Holland had a golden opportunity to take the lead only for Arjen Robben to be superbly denied by goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Del Bosque was delighted with his country's eventual success, which he felt was reward for their strong team spirit.
He said: "There is joy of being 50 days with this group of players who have given us the world title. It was a difficult match.
"We started well, then they got the match under control. In the second half, there was a chance by Robben and Casillas saved us from the worst.
"Afterwards, I think that we were slightly better."
Very intense
Del Bosque also refused to criticise Holland for their rugged approach, which eventually resulted in the extra-time dismissal of Johnny Heitinga.
He 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."
Cesc Fabregas had only been introduced from the bench three minutes from the end of normal time, and Del Bosque saluted his impact on the match.
"Fabregas came on and we began to dominate," he said. "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."
He added: "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."
Midfielder Xabi Alonso added: "Everything was great. I feel euphoria, joy, everything positive. What counts is to win the final. It was complicated but we won."
