Casillas: Netherlands clash different to 2010 final

Spain captain Iker Casillas insisted the 2010 FIFA World Cup final means nothing as his team prepare to face the Netherlands again.

Vicente del Bosque’s side claimed a 1-0 win after extra-time over the Dutch in the decider in South Africa four years ago for their third straight major tournament.

Casillas said that while both games were important, 2010 was history and played no part heading into Friday’s Group B encounter in Salvador.

“The final and this match are two very different games and have nothing to do with one another, but they’re both very important. We beat them in South Africa,” he told a news conference.

“When you start the World Cup off with a loss, you have to go full throttle to win the remaining games.

“Holland has three experienced players up front and they will be a difficult opponent.”

Casillas dismissed concerns over his team’s motivation, which has been questioned after their recent dominance.

“We have the excitement and desire to have a good campaign. I hope we can repeat the success we had in South Africa,” he said.

“We know it won’t be easy because ever since we won, we’ve played the role of favourites and all of our opponents want to do the best they possibly can.

“Having already won is a great motivator, because our goal, with all due respect to the opponents we’ll face, is to get the second star.

“Spain has been the best in the world for four years and we’re all doing our best to win.

“With the enthusiasm and humility that made us champions, we will show our strengths with clear ideas from the get-go, in order to go as far as possible and defend our title.”