The cacophony has not resounded in Spain!! VIVA ESPAÑA!!

After some 90+ years of shin-kicking, sweat, dirt, and tears, hundreds of qualifiers, and a greuling, nail-biting 120 minutes had to pass before Spain could finally lift the the Cup that they all call the World. Of course, YF gives credit to tearful Fabregas and our very own Catalan compatriot Andres Iniesta, but we also give credit to mastermind Del Bosque. Yes, he may frequent many of the local pizzerias, an may enjoy his choice food and drink, but how did he get his team through this far? Surely it wasn't physic, like our now dearly loved geezer Paul the Octopus. No, ladies and gentleman, it was tactics that got us through and that left YF and perhaps millions of people worldwide still wondering if this all really happened.

YF would love to thank South Africa for this most enjoyable experience. There wasn't the Zidane send-off, but in a way, France got sent off. There wasn't Italy lifting the trophy again, but Italy did lift their bags to go on the plane home. There wasn't Cafu holding the World Cup for Brazil, but there was (somewhere out there) Cafu holding his head in shame. Then we had the Kiwi's, the All-Whites, whatever you want to call them, suprising most with an almost-win against Slovakia (hey, YF is being naïve here). We had Brazil out in the quarter final, as well as England. Raymond Domenech was summoned to Parliament to fight for his rather ill-fated excuse of a team. Then, there was Shabalala's 'hold the wheel and turn it' celebration with his pals to open up a truly magnificent World Cup. Of course, there was more to discuss and butt heads over, but YF still has a hangover from July 11. We now eagerly await to see La Furía Roja crowned world champions a second time in Brazil four years from now. But for now, keep your eye on La Liga, which YF will be covering season in and season out.

And by the way, we really enjoyed Iker's interview smooch with his girfriend. Thank you for your last-ditch efforts to maintain the World Cup atmosphere, Casillas.