MADRID, July 7, 2010 (AFP) –The whole of Spain erupted with joy as the national side reached the World Cup final for the first time ever with a 1-0 win over Germany—and the fiesta looked set to last all through the night.

“It’s over! We are in the final of the World Cup! It’s historic, what joy!” shouted a commentator from the television channel La Cuatro as the final whistle went.

“It’s not a dream, Spain is in the final!” the Madrid daily ABC said on its website.

A cacophony of firecrackers, vuvuzelas, car horns and cheers rang out across Madrid, where Spanish red and gold flags adorn balconies, roofs and bars.

Thousands of ecstatic fans sang and waved flags outside Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium where the match was broadcast on giant screens.

The crowd shouted “Yes, yes, yes, this year, yes!” and “I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish!” to celebrate the win, which takes Spain into the final against Holland on Sunday.

“We’re euphoric, we deserved to win,” said Julia, 17.

Spain “opened up the match” and “had far more chances than Germany,” said Juan Sierra, 17.

Spain “dominated the match and in the second half the German team was already tired, and with the changes we made we were fresher,” said Tomas Vasquez, a 41-year-old father who was watching the game with his son.

Carles Puyol’s 73rd-minute goal was greeted with red smoke from firecrackers.

The city was earlier gripped with excitement and anticipation ahead of what sports newspaper AS said was “the match of our lives”.

The streets were empty ahead of the game as residents rushed home or into bars to watch the game.

Police also set up barriers around the fountain in the Spanish capital’s Plaza Cibeles, where Real fans traditionally celebrate their victories.

Almost all towns and cities throughout the country installed giant screens for people to watch the match.

One notable exception was in Barcelona, the capital of the nationalist-minded region of Catalonia, even though seven players in Spain’s starting line-up for Wednesday’s game are from the Barcelona team.

“The best team, Spain, qualified for the final,” radio Cadena Ser said on its website.

The Catalan daily La Vanguardia said “Spain achieved world glory” by beating Germany so easily.

But while most people in Spain were ecstatic, one corner of the country was in despair, as tens of thousands of German tourists in a Majorcan beach resort were left with broken hearts.

Cries of “Nein!” (No!) erupted throughout Playa de Palma, a traditionally German resort in the Balearic island, as Puyol scored.

But after the final whistle, glum faces and a few moments of stunned silence were quickly followed by music, including a German version of “Viva Espana!”, fireworks and more glasses of beer.

“We lost to Spain in Euro 2008, now we’ve lost to them in the World Cup. Twice in important matches is too much,” complained Judith, an 18-year-old German tourist in the Deutsche Eck (German Corner) bar and restaurant.

“Now we have to at least beat Uruguay for third place,” she said, a garland in Germany’s red, yellow and black colours round her neck.

“If we’d had (suspended player Thomas) Mueller, we wouldn’t have lost,” said her boyfriend Pierre, also 18, wrapped in a German flag.

In sweltering heat, Germans crammed into overflowing bars and restaurants along the Playa de Palma beach to watch the match.

Majorca is nicknamed ‘Germany’s 17th Land’ because of the millions of tourists from that country who visit every year. ■

LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2010 (AFP) - Let the LeBron James Sweepstakes begin.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star is set to become perhaps the most sought-after free agent in NBA history when the 2010 free agency period begins on Thursday - or for those more minutely monitoring the countdown July 1, 12:01am Eastern Daylight Time (04:01 GMT).

Just where the two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player might land has already sparked feverish speculation.

Everyone, it seems, from President Barack Obama to golfer Tiger Woods has an opinion on where “King” James could best pursue the NBA championship that has so far eluded him in Cleveland.

Obama, in an interview in May, mentioned his beloved Chicago Bulls as perhaps a good fit for James.

Woods this week said he’d like to see James end up with his favored Los Angeles Lakers.

While NBA teams have been, technically, barred from wooing James until the free agency period begins, other interested parties haven’t been shy in their attempts to lure him.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has spearheaded a campaign to bring James to the Big Apple, perhaps to the New York Knicks or the Nets, currently of nearby New Jersey but slated for a move to Brooklyn, New York.

Hours after Cleveland were eliminated from the NBA playoffs, Bloomberg said New York would welcome James - drawing a tetchy response from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who hopes to keep his superstar in Cleveland.

Gilbert can outspend any rival for James under NBA salary cap rules, but with already-rich James wanting a championship chance more than a king’s ransom, it remains to be seen how the free agency period already dubbed “LeBron-athon” pans out.

While fans in Cleveland campaign - joining such stunts as a radio station’s “Beards for Bron” - other cities and other teams plot and the other players in a remarkable free agent class ponder how James’s eventual decision might affect them.

This year’s crop of free agents figures to be one of the greatest ever available, with players including Miami’s Dwyane Wade, Toronto’s Chris Bosh and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki on the market.

Players can agree to deals but can’t start signing new contracts until July 8.

Some teams have spent several seasons clearing space under the salary cap in order to be in position to make lucrative offers.

James was reportedly set to host several suitors - including Cleveland, Chicago, Miami, New York, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers - at an undisclosed site, reportedly near his hometown, Akron, Ohio, on Thursday.

That’s in lieu of a previously reported plan to tour the wannabe teams.

“We’ve never had anything like this in my time that I can remember,” Nets president Rod Thorn said of the hoopla. “There have been big-time free agents before, but never this many teams that are trying to woo them. So it’s unprecedented.”