Eurovision

Pleasantly surprised by Eurovision this year. Not because of its music, that was about as shit as ever. Hell, in fact it may have been one of the blandest Eurovisions in recent memory with no obvious extroverted piss-takers save Moldova. No. But what did surprise me was that voting seemed to, largely, reflect the quality of the musical performance rather than the political voting which has plagued the contest in recent years. Yes, there was an element of that, with Denmark giving Sweden 12 points and vice-versa, and also quite amusingly the former Soviet states all bestowing upon Georgia high scores in some thinly veiled showing of solidarity against the Russians. Regardless, the right song won in the end, Azerbaijan's 'Running Scared', by far the most innocuous and pleasant song of the bunch. Although I have to say I was quite surprised at how badly France did, who actually had a very good entry and were one of the bookie's favourites. Somehow, however, tenor Amaury Vassili didn't quite belong in the circus ring with the rest of the animals and was perhaps too good to be there. Spain's cheery and upbeat entry also undeservedly finished lower than perhaps it should have, containing all the elements usually present for a Eurovision winner. Plus, the girls were fucking fit. Anyway, a mildly more interesting contest this year. Here's the winner.

World Cup: Spain Reign!

And that, ladies and gents, is the end of World Cup South Africa 2010. Paul the psychic Octopus went eight for eight by predicting Spain to join the small elite of only seven other nations to have won football's most prestigious prize.

Spain, the team I backed to lift the trophy from the start, ran out worthy winners in what was not by any means a memorable classic, but nonetheless enthralling final. The set-up promised to see new World champions as the two teams, labelled to be the 'best teams to never have won it', met for the first time in a competitive match. Whilst I've always had a soft spot for the Dutch, tonight they entered the stage with the negative attitude of merely trying to stop the Spanish from playing. It was clear from the outset that only one team on the pitch in Johannesburg this evening truly wanted it.

The first half was a pretty dismal affair, with nothing of note really happening except for the numerous yellow cards flying out of Howard Webb's pocket. Still, at least there was one Englishman in the World Cup Final. Indeed, his reluctance to send a player off saw eight of the Dutch team walking the tightrope during the game. Webb had to concede that the dirty Dutch wouldn't be able to finish the game with all eleven men, but that only came in the second half of extra time when he had no other option but to send Johnny Heitinga from the field. It was a difficult game for Webb to referee, what with so much riding on the occasion. Had it been any other game the Dutch would easily have been down to nine, even eight men. Webb got a few decisions wrong, but he also got many correct, and it was his intention to have a final not marred by Dutch licentiousness.

[Karate Kid Nigel De Jong flattens Xabi Alonso. Wax on. Wax Off.]

The Dutch plan to stifle Spain's usual flowing play seemed to work as they took liberties with their tackles. It was not a pretty game to watch by any stretch of the imagination, but the game did pick up after a cagey first half. It was a fascinating tussle between Dutch pragmatism against Spanish exuberance. Chances were few and far between, but both sides had excellent opportunities to seal the win. First, old-man Robben, the 26-year old who looks in his mid-forties, latched onto an exquisite through-ball from Wesley Sneijder to go clean through only for Spanish keeper Iker Cassilas to brilliantly stand firm until the last minute to save. Cesc Fabregas then had a similar chance, but was shown onto his less favoured left foot as Maarten Stekelenburg pulled off a great save of his own.

And so extra time, with Spain looking the ever more likely to win it. The flying tackles of the Dutchmen were finally punished when Heitinga became the fifth person to be sent off in a World Cup final as he pulled Andres Iniesta down on the edge of the penalty area. The Netherlands came close with Joris Mathijsen's header before Iniesta struck for Spain with four minutes left to play. The Dutch were left furious as they felt that Elijero Elia had been fouled in the build up, with Mathijsen picking up a booking for dissent. As it stood, the ten-men of Holland were unable to find an equaliser with such little time remaining and Spain were left to banish the title of 'best teams to never have won it'.

To be honest, this hasn't been the best World Cup I've ever seen, mediocre at best. However it did have some captivating moments. It was special for having been hosted on the African continent, but the football on show wasn't quite up to the high standards we expected from some of these players. Some of the heavyweights just didn't show up as memorable moments from the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Ribery were non-existent. Add to that the dismal performances and early exits of some of the usual heavy-hitters, France, Portugal, Italy and England (cough), and the tournament seemed to lose much of the sparkle we expect from it. Whilst it was great to see some of the minnow teams do so well, it was disappointing that big teams of such pedigree and sheer entertainment were barely involved. In the end though the fact that Spain won was a victory for football. Sometimes breathtaking to watch, but never playing to their fullest, it was they who deserved it most. Given their early performances I was left wondering whether I had made the right call, but they stepped their game up just enough when it mattered. Role on Brazil 2014.