HOLLAND 0-1 SPAIN

Many people have held up the World Cup Final of 2010 as an example of everything that is seemingly wrong with football. I don't subscribe to this point of view at all. I didn't at the time, and I don't now: a full 268 days after Spain beat Holland.

And that is exactly why I don't think the Final was the car crash many saw it as. Because Spain beat Holland. Football won. The best team won the World Cup. Their best player scored the winning goal. WC2010: dealt with.

What's not to love?

The game itself was tense as hell. There were plenty of goal-scoring chances, including three one on ones - two for Robben, one for Fabregas - before Andres Iniesta scored the goal of the tournament (seriously, to connect with a controlled waist high volley after 116 minutes of the World Cup final, under pressure from a desperate lunge of the last defender: pure class).

Football could so easily have lost. And then where would we be?

If that pass from Fabregas had not fallen to the feet of the coolest player on the planet, where could we be? Nigel De Jong, Johnny Heitinger, Mark Van Bommel, and Dirk "hard working" Kuyt could all have World Cup winners' medal.

Come on, repetitive fouling aside, how did some of these Dutch players end up playing in a World Cup Final?

Although, having said all that, you can't accuse the Dutch FA of not knowing their best XI. The squad numbers of the players who started this Final numbered 1-11. How often does that happen? Not very.

How many people care? Not many.

Anyway, my point remains: the Dutch were outclassed and outplayed for 120 minutes and the team who played the best football in the tournament won the World Cup.

And you haven't always been able to say that...



THE STORY SO FAR

Match of the tournament: Holland 0-1 Spain

Player of the tournament: Andres Iniesta (Spain)

Goal of the tournament: Iniesta (Spain v Holland)

FINAL GEEK-OUT / ROLL CALL
[placings, after round of elimination, decided by group points won, then overall goal difference for the tournament - additional points awarded for extra time / penalty eliminations]

1. Spain; 2. Holland; 3. Germany; 4. Uruguay; 5. Argentina; 6. Brazil; 7. Ghana; 8. Paraguay; 9. Japan; 10. USA; 11. Chile; 12. Portugal; 13. England; 14. Mexico; 15. South Korea; 16. Slovakia; 17. Ivory Coast; 18. Slovenia; 19. Switzerland; 20. South Africa; 21. Australia; 22. New Zealand; 23. Serbia; 24. Denmark; 25. Greece; 26. Italy; 27. Nigeria; 28. Algeria; 29. France; 30. Honduras; 31. Cameroon; 32. North Korea.