32 teams, 64 matches, 144 goals, 260 yellow cards and a total attendance of 3,178,856; all of that, and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was eventually decided by one of the most fractious, ill-tempered and cynical finals in memory.

After a tournament which started so slowly had burst into life as it wore on, it was perhaps inevitable that the final couldn’t live up to its billing – in truth, they rarely ever do. Two teams which between them had won a grand total of 0 previous World Cups bred the kind of win-at-all-costs mentality which we saw tonight in Johannesburg. read more… ⇒