"We will never forget it," read an editorial in the Spanish sports daily Marca. "There are people who, after this, will be able to die peacefully."
Across Spain, there was jubilation throughout the night as the country celebrated its first-ever World Cup victory, defeating third-time finalists - and third-time runners-up - the Netherlands.
Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo praised the team as one of the greatest-ever. "Thank you for all that you have done. The national side has embroidered its name in gold on a World Cup that will go down in history for having crowned one of the greatest teams of all time."
Daily El Pais praised match winner Andres Iniesta, who scored four minutes from the end of extra time, hailing the Barcelona player as "the eternal hero of Johannesburg."
"Spain is the world champion, the epic achievement that Spanish sport was lacking," read the newspaper's editorial.
Football fans in the Spanish capital Madrid filled city streets and danced in fountains after the final whistle, chanting "Viva Espana!"
Spain's Andres Iniesta, back, scores the goal Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Iniesta was hailed as the 'eternal hero of Johannesburg'
More than 150,000 supporters watched the match in a fan park set up along a section of the city's Paseo de la Castellana.
In the Catalan capital of Barcelona, authorities set up a fan park for the final for the first time during the tournament. Around 75,000 people gathered to watch the national team, in a region where the notion of independence from Spain is a recurring political theme.
Spain's Queen Sofia was at the game in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium, although King Juan Carlos had remained in Spain for medical reasons.
"We are world champions," she said. "It's marvelous. We are absolutely delighted."
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he "suffered like never before" during the tense match. "We deserved it, we fought until the last minute," he said.
Celebration, commiseration
Tennis world number one Rafa Nadal said that victory, which follows Spain's win in the 2008 European Championships, was "unrepeatable" and should be celebrated for a whole year.
A Dutch soccer fan shows dejectionBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The result is the latest World Cup final trauma for the Dutch
There were different scenes in the Netherlands where fans were stunned into silence by Iniesta's strike 116 minutes into the soccer showdown.
As the final whistle blew, supporters in Amsterdam's Museum Square - where more than 100,000 had gathered - rested their heads in their hands in defeat.
Here too, the national press reflected the popular mood. "Third trauma for Orange," read the lead story of Dutch daily De Telegraaf daily, recalling the defeats to Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978 - the only two other World Cup finals that the Netherlands reached.
"The World Cup in South Africa will enter Dutch history as the third football trauma," it added.
A roaring celebration rocked Spain on Sunday, with some 300,000 people in the capital's downtown forming a sea of red and yellow in tribute to the nation's first World Cup title.
The country's flag and team colors were in full display on Paseo de Recoletos boulevard as hordes of fans watched the match live on gigantic TV screens.
Then, as the final whistle marked Spain's 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in extra time, fireworks lighted up the sky. Crowds began dancing and singing one of the team's battle cries, "Let's Get Them."
Television shots showed partying in jammed town squares across the country, from Zaragoza in the northeast to Seville in the southwest. The celebrations were easily the biggest in the country in living memory.
A roar rose from Madrid, and almost certainly across the nation, when goalkeeper Iker Casillas lifted the cup in South Africa. Spain, long tagged a perennial underachiever, had never before gone to the World Cup final.
In the Netherlands, the mood was funereal. Fans wept and hugged in The Hague at the final whistle and tossed off handfuls of orange confetti into the air that had been intended for a victory party.
"It's such a deception. We were so close. I feel empty," said Sander Lubbers, a 33-year-old shopworker.
"It's a great shame, but Spain was the better team," said Arend-jan Meijer. "It's only football," he added as he headed for home kicking his way through piles of plastic beer cups.
In Madrid, the beer tasted better. Vuvuzuela horns so typical of the matches in South Africa this World Cup, had droned throughout the city and car horns began to honk incessantly.
Tens of thousands put up with more than 100-degree heat from early in the day to get the best positions before giant TV screens in major plazas in towns and cities. In Madrid, emergency ambulance services treated dozens of people who had fainted.
Spain's biggest previous soccer triumph was in 2008 when it won the European Championship in Vienna, a feat that ended a 44-year drought between major titles and drew thousands onto the streets.
"It had to be (Andres) Iniesta, the field marshal of Spanish football," said Marcos Domenec, 19, in reference to Spain's goal scorer.
Marta Seco, 22, was overcome with emotion.
"This is the greatest sporting event in the history of the country," she shouted with tears in her eyes.
The fiesta wasn't even contained to Spain. In Toronto, for instance, Spanish fans also took to the streets, dancing on a U-Haul truck, a streetcar, and even a transit shelter.
In Mexico City, about 2,500 revelers converged at the Plaza de Cibeles in the trendy Roma Norte district. They banged drums, blew vuvuzelas and marched around the fountain there — an exact copy of the monument with the same name in Madrid — chanting and singing.
Back in Madrid, one banner amid the masses read "Octopus Paul, Forever!" and featured a crudely drawn picture of the octopus from Germany who became a pop culture sensation by correctly picking World Cup matches. He was right again about the final.
Fans watching from a patio bar in a working-class neighborhood whooped in joy, yelling "Spain! Spain!" They danced on their bar chairs and hugged each other. Others yelled "Yes! Yes! The cup is now ours!"
The night sky of the Alcoron suburb lit up with fireworks and the bar patrons cheered each other with beer and sangria on a sweltering summer night, then joined in the dancing, dodging firecrackers tossed about by other fans.
"It's just amazing, I almost don't believe it," said a beaming Feliciano Hernandez, a 25-year-old electrician. "I'm so proud, totally happy, and living for the moment and not thinking about anything else right now."
Nacho Moreno danced in the street waving the Spanish flag he had kept wrapped around his head for luck during the game as cars drove by, honking their horns in salute. He said he would probably drink until dawn to celebrate.
"It's phenomenal! Spain won. I was real nervous, but I knew it was possible," said the 23-year-old waiter.
Television images even showed crowds waving Spanish flags in the city of Barcelona, where more than 1.1 million protested on Saturday to demand autonomy for their Catalonia region.