In their exclusive Club Africa columns, top coach Foppe de Haan and international goalkeeper Hans Vonk from Ajax Cape Town give regular updates on events in and around the World Cup finals in South Africa. This week, in this final column, Foppe de Haan looks back at a World Cup that he calls “an attractive event with little spectacular football.”   The right team won... "To be honest I hadn’t expected Holland to make it this far as I thought we would lose to Brazil. And who would have thought that Argentina would be torn apart by Germany?" Did the right team win the World Cup 2010? Anyone who stays in the tournament for a month and wins four knock-out games truly deserves to raise the trophy on the final day of the event. It’s as simple as that. The fact that Spain beat Holland in the exciting final in Johannesburg may be sad for the Dutch fans, but this is what football is all about. The Dutch team will have to live with their position as runner-up: After two similar experiences in 1974 and 1978, this is the third time that Holland has missed out on the greatest prize of all. It is certainly no shame to lose to Spain, which is a giant footballing nation where cities such as Barcelona have as many football players as in the whole of the Netherlands. Spanish football can tap into a huge pool of talented players, and this can make all the difference in a final of a major event. To be honest I hadn’t expected Holland to make it this far as I thought we would lose to Brazil. And who would have thought that Argentina would be torn apart by Germany? Looking back at the latter match, we can see that the Argentineans were not tricked into losing by the Germans… They lost out to themselves. I still do not understand why Maradona played a team with five defenders, five forwards and only one midfielder. It turned out to be footballing suicide. My greatest regret is that we did not see more of the African teams. Ghana making it to the quarter finals is scant consolation. An educational World Cup "One thing is certain: Football coaches like myself were able to learn a great deal during the finals. Not just from the obvious successes but even more from the errors and misses." I gave the video guy at Ajax Cape Town a list of moments that I am going to study with my players at some point. They show how goals originated or the way teams (fail to) deal with certain situations: All these snapshots can serve as educational and sometimes even entertaining material. Finalist Holland also made mistakes in its seven matches. They did not play the compelling football seen in the qualifying rounds. On average the football was of a reasonably high level, with the breakthrough moments often relying on the emerging qualities of a single player, especially Sneijder and Robben. There was also the pivotal actions of the goalkeeper Stekelenburg, who kept Holland in the game against Brazil at a vital moment. Without his save it would have been 2-0 for Brazil, a score that would have been very difficult for Holland to come back from. Is it luck? Good teams certainly need good fortune at crucial moments. In my own experience as coach of the Dutch under-21 team that won the European Championships, other forces also come into play once you win a few matches. The players start to believe, step up another gear and surpass themselves. This is not luck... It is the moment in football 'when everything comes together'. Look at all the World Champions of the past decades: Sometimes they were obviously much better than their opponents, at others everything simply came together at the right moment. Compliments to Uruguay "Uruguay was one of the more attractive teams at the World Cup in South Africa." This small football nation (albeit with a big football history) came with a team in which the forwards Suarez and Forlan (who was awarded to the finest player at this year’s finals) initially had difficulty finding each other. But Uruguay grew with each match, partly because the coach was brave enough to change his game plan during the tournament. This allowed the team to play a more attacking style that surprised almost all their opponents. The men in light blue made it as far as the semis and proved a dangerous adversary. Well done, I say! The fact that they made it to the last four due to a bizarre win against Ghana does not make their achievement any less. After all, the Ghanaian team missed a penalty during the match and the Uruguayan players were simply better in the penalty shout out. Another team I am looking forward to seeing again at the next World Cup is Chile. They played attractive football and had a great striker in Sanchez who is on the books at Udinese in Italy. Japan also showed a marked improvement. The metamorphosis: Germany "This World Cup welcomed a new German team, who displayed a technique and style that initially seemed very un-German." German teams have always been renowned for their hard work on the field and the fact that they could beat all comers due to their running ability and physical qualities. This World Cup welcomed a new German team, who displayed a technique and style that initially seemed very un-German. The laborious play of the past became a distant memory as players such as Ösil and Schweinsteiger surprised us all. Germany were a revelation during the tournament, although we could have seen it coming bearing in mind that the country won the Under 21, Under 19 and Under 17 championships. They set a whole new course and started training in the Dutch style as well as adding new technical and tactical qualities to their indomitability. I expect Germany to be among the favourites at the next European Championships and World Cup. The entertainment: Uruguay and Ghana "My greatest regret is that we did not see more of the African teams. Ghana making it to the quarter finals is scant consolation." Which ever way you look at it, the last minutes of the match were heart-stopping. At the end of extra time the goal of the South Americans was under siege by Ghana, and Suarez made a save by punching the ball from the goal line. He rightly received a red card and was sent off. The Ghanaian penalty hits the crossbar, Suarez stands cheering on the touchline and the rest is history. Uruguay win the penalty shootout, with Panenka’s penalty standing out in particular. It was the height of football excitement. Fair? Perhaps not... But definitely unforgettable. The moment: The well-rehearsed corner that knocked out Brazil The corner was perfect, with a starring role played by Holland's secret weapon: The seemingly tireless Dirk Kuijt. The well-rehearsed corner was headed on by Kuijt to Wesley Sneijder – the shortest man on the field – who scored with his head. Exit Brazil, Holland go through to the next round. Read more... Previous column by Foppe de Haan > Previous column by Hans Vonk >   Also in Club Africa Flying Blue Club Africa on facebook Join us at the Flying Blue Club Africa page on facebook. It’s the place for sharing information about how to make your business in Africa more efficient. You can start discussions, share experiences and/or learn from others. Join us on facebook >