Van Marwijk: We would have been happy to win ugly

Jul 12, 2010, 0:15 GMT

Johannesburg - Bert van Marwijk defended his side's tactics Sunday after the Netherlands had eight players booked and John Heitinga sent off in the World Cup final defeat to Spain.

Spain also had five players booked by English referee Howard Webb in an ill-tempered affair at Soccer City which Spain eventually won 1-0 thanks to an extra-time goal from Andres Iniesta.

The tone for the game was set early on as five players went into Webb's book in the first half hour, including Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong for crude fouls on Iniesta and Xabi Alonso respectively.

'It's not our style to commit horrible fouls, it's not our kind of football,' said van Marwijk. 'I think both sides, also Spain, committed terrible fouls.

The 58-year-old refused to accept that the Dutch went into the game looking to bully the Spanish into submission and instead laid the blame for the record number of bookings in a World Cup final on referee Webb.

'I don't think the referee controlled the game,' he said.

Van Marwijk also backed his team's style, saying the stakes were high and the Dutch would have been happy to win in any way possible.

'That was regrettable for a final. That's not our style but you do play a final to win,' he said.

'I would have loved to win the match even with not so beautiful football.'

Arjen Robben had two glorious opportunities to win the game for Holland during regulation time but the Oranje faced an uphill task once they were reduced to 10 men when Heitinga was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the second period of extra-time.

'I had really thought that, even with 10 players we could make it to the penalty shootout and with a great goalkeeper in Maarten Stekelenburg win it,' said van Marwijk.

'It was still our intention to play beautiful football but we were also facing a very good opponent.'