World Cup blog: Farewell
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Go get the beers, chips and dips and enjoy the final two games of the World Cup, because come Monday we no longer have a legitimate reason to call in sick, ignore our friends and family, and wear stretchy pants exclusively. That's right folks, the World Cup is nearly over!
So let's start our World Cup autopsy a little early. Like all tournaments this one has had its ups and downs.
There was the dodgy ball, some downright awful refereeing decisions, diving worthy of an Olympic gold, the discovery of the most annoying noise known to man (the vuvuzela), the resurrection of the goal-line technology debate and some disappointing performances from supposed superstars (Messrs Ronaldo, Rooney and Drogba).
But then there were the clinical Germans, the gutsy Ghanaians, the hard-working Americans and the plucky Koreans - all of whom brought a level of enjoyment, class and excitement to the competition. And despite my vuvuzela issues, the South African fans were brilliant to watch.
And now for the other big question… who's going to win the final? I seem to be one of the few people going for the Dutch. They haven't lost a game and they've scored 12 goals to Spain's 7. Six different players have scored for the Dutch, while la Roja have relied far too much on David Villa's five goals to get them this far.
But with no previous World Cup meeting between the two, it's very tough to call. The Dutch have been runners-up twice before in '74 and '78, while Spain had never reached a semi-final, let alone a final, before this year.
So, the trophy's making its way back to Europe regardless of the victor and all my talk of a South American takeover now seems like the ramblings of a mad man. So well done Europe, good luck Spain and the Netherlands, and roll on 2014.
