The metaphorical monkey that has for decades weighed down Spain and made it a near-cripple is now one good whack away from being beaten off the Spaniards' back once and for all.

Soccer's greatest underachievers took a giant step toward immortality with a 1-0 win over Germany Wednesday night courtesy of a Carlos Puyol goal in the 73rd minute, advancing to their first World Cup final.

The ultra-stylish Spanish side masterfully dictated the pace of the match and made the mighty Germans look ordinary by playing some brilliant attacking soccer, with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso pulling the creative strings in midfield.

But it was Puyol, a no-nonsense defender cut out of granite, who emerged the hero, demonstrating exquisite technique in scoring a powerful header off a corner kick to send his country through to Sunday's final against the Netherlands in Johannesburg.

Spain's first appearance in the finale of the sport's showpiece event has been a long time coming, especially for a nation with such a rich and storied soccer culture.

The Spaniards have firmly replaced Brazil as the spiritual caretakers of the beautiful game, earning widespread acclaim and setting fans' hearts racing with their entertaining and breathtaking style, known as tiki taka.

Its fast-paced, pass-and-move possession game has not only won many admirers for its beauty but plenty of matches, too. La Roja has lost only twice since November 2006 and ended a 44-year major title drought when it defeated Germany to win Euro 2008.

Still, doubts lingered about Spain ahead of its South African sojourn because of its record of underachievement.

Indeed, Spain qualified for 12 World Cups before this one but managed to advance beyond the quarter-finals only once, in 1950. Its lone international success prior to winning Euro 2008 was in 1964 when it won the European Championship on home soil.

Puzzling track record It was a puzzling track record of futility for a nation that boasts one of the best professional leagues and bequeathed the greatest club in all of soccer to the world, Real Madrid.

But now, Spain finds itself on the verge of entering the hallowed halls of soccer's pantheon.

The shimmering waters of the Indian Ocean, located just a stone's throw away from the magnificent Moses Mabhida Stadium, couldn't compare to the luminous performance put forth by the Spaniards.

Germany was considered the favourite in some quarters coming into this semifinal showdown after cruising through the tournament and racking up impressive victories over bigwigs England and Argentina.

The powerful German machine looked invincible in reaching the semifinals for the 12th time in World Cup history, outscoring the opposition by a whopping 13-2 margin.

With Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller and Mesut