GK Maarten Stekelenburg, 7: Stepping into the sizeable shoes of internationally retired Dutch legend Edwin van der Sar, the much-critiqued Stekelenburg capped off his fine tournament with a standout performance against Spain. His clutch first-half stop of a Sergio Ramos header was impressive and his extra-time denial of Cesc Fabregas was even better. He positioned himself well on Iniesta’s winner and got a palm on the shot, but the velocity from such a close range was just too much for him to handle. 

RB Gregory van der Wiel, 5: The 22-year-old Ajax right back was again adequate if unspectacular. He got forward nicely early in the second half, only to see a lack of support waste his dangerous ball across Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ box. 

CB John Heitinga, 3: An otherwise steady tournament for the Everton center back came to a disappointing end when he picked up a second yellow card for pulling down the pesky Iniesta in extra time. To make matters worse, he also mishandled a clearance that gave David Villa a point blank opportunity, and his mistimed step-up freed Fabregas on a breakaway. He did, however, clear a low, driven cross from Ramos over his own goal to keep Spain from taking an early lead. 

CB Joris Mathijsen, 6: The veteran defender bottled up Villa throughout the contest, keeping the lethal striker from seeing much of the ball. He was also fairly dominant in the air, calmly foiling a number of Spanish crosses. He probably should have helped Rafael van der Vaart close down Iniesta on the game’s lone goal, though. 

LB Giovanni van Bronckhorst, 4: Playing in his final match, Holland’s 35-year-old captain began to show some fatigue in the second half as he developed a habit for keeping Spanish attackers onside. Coach Bert van Marwijk removed him in the 105th minute when it was clear his tank was running on empty. 

DM Nigel de Jong, 3: Had the Netherlands won, pundits would undoubtedly be discussing how De Jong got away with the crime of the century when his vicious spearing of Xabi Alonso square in the chest with a reckless, studs-up challenge only warranted a yellow card. Otherwise, his play was choppy and inconsistent, prompting Van Marwijk to pull him for Van der Vaart during the first extra-time period. 

DM Mark van Bommel, 5: Like De Jong, he was lucky not to be sent off for a first-half challenge when he ruthlessly cleaned out Iniesta. And he probably should have been called for a penalty kick after clumsily taking down Alonso. His defensive work rate, on the other hand, was instrumental when it came to holding Xavi in check. 

CM Wesley Sneijder, 6: The odds-on favorite to win FIFA World Player of the Year honors thanks to his tremendous success on both the club and international level, Sneijder couldn’t quite replicate the magic he used to lead the Oranje to the final. His brilliant, off-balance through ball sprung Arjen Robben on a second-half breakaway for Holland’s best chance, but that was his only significant contribution. As a result, he will have to settle for sharing the Golden Boot with three other players, taking home the Silver Ball and accepting a runners-up medal. 

RF Arjen Robben, 6: For much of the match, it seemed as if Robben and Iniesta were going blow for blow to see which perpetually active winger could put his side on top first. Easily the Netherlands’ most dangerous player, Robben created chance after chance with his pace by cutting in and attacking with his favorite left foot. His decision-making in the final third was a bit off, though, and his near post bids from outside the penalty area became easy pickings for Casillas. But the Bayern Munich man will most regret placing his one-on-one opportunity against Casillas in the second half off the Spanish goalkeeper’s lunging foot. 

LF Dirk Kuyt, 5: It was a quiet game for the 29-year-old, who was mostly relegated to a passive role as the Netherlands attack flowed through Robben on the opposite side. He did do well to track back on occasion and help Van Bronckhorst deal with Ramos’ forays forward. 

CF Robin van Persie, 4: The Arsenal striker drifted out of the game for long stretches due to Spain’s superior possession and the lack of quality service up front that coincided. When the best opportunity for him to score presented itself in the 90th minute, he needlessly wandered offside and surrendered what would have been a free chance on Casillas’ goal. 

SUBS 

LF Eljero Elia, 4: Kuyt’s replacement was practically invisible after coming on for the Liverpool forward with 19 minutes left in regulation. 

CM Rafael van der Vaart, 5: During the buildup to the Spanish goal, Van der Vaart made an excellent off-balance interception of Fernando Torres’ initial ball for Iniesta. It was the still-recovering Van der Vaart who kept Iniesta onside when Fabregas pounced on the loose ball and fed it to the Barcelona forward, but he can hardly be blamed for that. 

LB Edson Braafheid, 3: First, the substitute left back almost scored the own goal to end all own goals when a cross bounced off the back of his unaware head and, fortunately for Braafheid, fell into Stekelenburg’s hands. Later, he was nowhere to be found on Iniesta’s tally, even though it materialized on his side of the field while he should have been hanging back to cover for Heitinga’s absence. 

COACH 

Bert van Marwijk, 3: Tactically, the Netherlands’ brutal, foul-heavy approach crippled the squad with yellow cards and, eventually, the crucial red to Heitinga. The insertion of Van der Vaart should have come much earlier, as De Jong was a red card waiting to happen all match. Elia’s entrance was a non-factor. And though taking Van Bronckhorst off the pitch was the right decision, putting Braafheid into the match ended up being a disaster. With Van Persie struggling, one has to wonder why he didn’t give Klaas-Jan Huntelaar a chance late in the contest.