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Michael Church - In South Africa

Africa's first World Cup has been a celebration of many things, but the final at Soccer City was about anything but the beautiful game; South Africa 2010 deserved better than to be served up a showpiece featuring such negative turgidity.

Stifled and stymied, Spain were denied the opportunity to play their usual slick passing game by a Dutch side that made it clear long before kick off that their tactic would be to inflict frustration on their more gifted opponents.

That Vicente del Bosque's side won the World Cup for the first time - and there can be little doubt that Spain were the best team in the tournament - was about the only positive outcome from a game that ranks alongside the finale of Italy 1990 as one of the most negative finals in the history of the competition.

Of course, it was never going to be about two teams coming out and playing open and expansive football; had the Netherlands taken that approach, the game would have been over long before the completion of 90 minutes such are Spain's abilities to control any match.

But from the Oranje, from the nation that gave the world Total Football in the 1970s, this was a performance that was that great ethos' antithesis.

There was no joy, no rapture in the Netherlands' performance; instead it was niggling, nasty and disruptive. Rinus Michels will have been spinning in his grave like a Rotisserie chicken.

It also came as little surprise: midfielder Mark Van Bommel had made it clear before the game that he and his team mates stood a better chance of winning if they ensured the Spanish did not dictate the tempo of the game.

That is certainly what they did via Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong, who consistently hassled and harried Xavi Hernandez, the man through whom everything positive emanates for Spain.

The frustrations started to show after a relatively bright opening 15 minutes as referee Howard Webb regularly brandished his yellow card; as the Dutch nipped at their heels - or left the impression of their studs in their chest as was the case of de Jong on Xabi Alonso - so the Spaniards showed their anger.

Arjen Robben could have won it for the Dutch when he was put through on goal twice in the second half but Holland's cynical approach was not to be rewarded as Iker Casillas denied him on both occasions.

And while Bert van Marwijk was left complaining about the performance of Webb - who was certainly far from flattered by an inconsistent showing, admittedly under very trying circumstances - the fact that Andres Iniesta won the World Cup for Spain was a triumph for the sport.

Had Spain fallen short they would surely have joined the likes of Michels' Netherlands side of 1974 and the 1954 Hungary side - the Mighty Magyars - as the finest teams never to win the World Cup.

The Barcelona man spared his nation that fate and positive football, in the end, prevailed.