Spanish supporters brandish the national flag with a bull on July 11, 2010 in central Madrid. Spain will play against the Netherlands in the final of the World Cup this evening at Soccer City Stadium in Soweto, outside Johannesburg. AFP PHOTO DOMINIQUE FAGET
Spain was awash with the red and gold national colours and exhuberant fans were gathering in blistering heat in outdoor "fan parks" as the country geared up for its first ever appearance in a World Cup final Sunday.
"The day of our dreams has arrived," said the sports newspaper Marca.
"You can do it!" headlined another sports daily, AS, over a picture of the team.
"Espana!" was the one-word headline in the Madrid daily ABC over a picture of the Spanish flag that covered both the front and back pages.
Police closed a one-kilometre (half-mile) stretch of Madrid's main avenue, the Paseo de Castellana, where three massive screens, one of them 60 square metres (650 square feet), were set up to broadcast the match.
