CARLES PUYOL HEADER SENDS SPAIN INTO FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP TITLE GAME

At Durban, South Africa:

Carles Puyol, seen here, third from left, being mobbed by teammates,  scored the only goal of the match with his noggin in the 73rd minute as Spain defeated Germany 1-0 on Wednesday to reach this coming Sunday's FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands.  It will be the Spaniards' first appearance in the championship game of world soccer's premier event, and this year's final, to be played at Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium,  will be the first since 1978 (when hosts Argentina defeated the Dutch) in which two teams who have never won the title will play against each other.

For the record, Germany will take on Uruguay in Saturday's third-place match at Port Elizabeth.