S Africa counts down to Cup final

Spain’s patient, posession-dominated style of play has seen them recover from an early tournament defeat to Switzerland and sail into the final, despite never seeming to get out of second gear.

Many of their goals have come from midfield as their star striker, Fernando Torres, has struggled for form following surgery prior to the tournament and is not expected to play.

Instead, Spanish hitman David Villa is one of the tournament’s top scorers, tied on five goals with the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder, Uruguay’s Diego Forlan and prodigous German talent Thomas Mueller.

Dutch masters?

Standing between Spain and the Jules Rimet trophy are a Dutch side who arrive at the Soccer City stadium on the back of an enviable winning streak.

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They have won all their qualifying matches for the tournament and every game in South Africa.

If they can notch up another victory on Sunday, they will be the first team since Brazil in 1970 to win the World Cup with a perfect record, and will exorcise the demons of two previous World Cup final failures. 

The Dutch are considered the best footballing nation never to have won a World Cup, although they have disappointed some fans in this tourment by adopting a pragamatic, defensive style of play in place of the free-flowing, attacking football they are known for. 

The game is the climax of a tournament that has been regarded as major triumph for South Africa, with predictions of the competition being hit by a wave of crime and chaos proving utterly unfounded. 

Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, thanked the nation on Saturday, saying that hosting the tournament had made South Africa champions despite being the first host country to go out in the group stage. 

Experts say holding the World Cup has helped improve South Africa’s image, boosting racial reconciliation and national unity in a country still troubled by divisions, 16 years after the end of apartheid.