Heroes’ welcome for WC winning Spanish team

Spain gave its football team a heroes' welcome today as their World Cup triumph over the Netherlands inspired a red and gold fiesta after years of dashed hopes.

Spain gave its football team a heroes’ welcome today as their World Cup triumph over the Netherlands inspired a red and gold fiesta after years of dashed hopes.

As the South African hosts prided themselves for defying pessimistic predictions,up to a million people were expected to line the streets of Madrid for an evening victory parade to cap off their sporting fairytale.

A huge cheer erupted from a crowd gathered at Madrid airport when keeper Iker Casillas emerged from the squad’s plane with coach Vicente del Bosque and held aloft the golden trophy.

The team were to meet Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero before taking an open top bus through the capital in a moment of pure joy for a country hit by spiralling

unemployment and a stuttering economy.

The party had begun immediately after Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta scored the final’s only goal late on Sunday,three minutes before the end of extra time after a match watched by an estimated 700 million people worldwide.

“Iniesta Presidente! Iniesta Presidente!” chanted one group of fans as they marched along the centre of the Gran Via,Madrid’s main thoroughfare in the early hours.

Others imitated bullfighters and waved Spanish flags over passing cars while chanting “Ole!” to celebrate Spain’s first win World Cup triumph,garnering record Spanish viewing figures.

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Zapatero said he had “suffered like never before” as he watched the game in Johannesburg’s Soccer City staudium.

The victories have brought a sliver of happiness to a country where around 20 percent of the active population is jobless and the economy is forecast to contract by 0.3 percent over 2010 as a whole.

The Dutch won over few neutrals on Sunday with their sometimes brutal approach towards their opponents. Centreback Johnny Heitinga was sent off and seven other players booked by English referee Howard Webb.

The team however will be given a warm welcome on their return home with a parade along the canals of Amsterdam planned for Tuesday and a reception with Queen Beatrix.

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“We have to be very proud of the team. They had us in raptures for a month,” Crown Prince Willem-Alexander told Dutch television.

“They will get the tribute next Tuesday that they deserve (in Amsterdam),and we will all see that it is also quite special to have come second here in South Africa.”

The end of the tournament was marred meanwhile by bomb attacks on crowds watching the World Cup final at two restuarants in the Ugandan capital Kampala which killed 74 people. Ugandan authorities blamed Somali Islamist militants.