Johannesburg, July 10: The Netherlands, the only team with an all-win record at the 2010 World Cup, will meet the pass masters of Spain for the ultimate prize in football here on Sunday night. July 11 will be a date with destiny and Soccer City a theatre of dreams for the contestants, as both teams are gunning for their maiden title. South Africans are excited about the all-European final cast becasue a slice of history is ensured at the finale of the first World Cup in Africa.

Purists are also happy as two teams that value aesthetics are in the final showdown of a month-long tournament. Never in recent times has the title clash of a World Cup featured two teams that are loved universally. Unlike the editions in Italy (1990), USA (1994) and Germany (2006), fans will have no lingering resentment about the winners in South Africa because whoever win the Sunday battle will have earned their title fair and square. The final has an air of a win-win situation for neutral fans.

Spain and the Netherlands entered the World Cup with an all-win record at the qualifiers. Spain won all their 10 matches and the Dutch scored eight out of eight. If the Netherlands emerge on top at Soccer City, they will become only the second team after Brazil (1970) to nail the World Cup with a perfect record in qualifiers and the finals. Years may have rolled by since the Dutch lost two World Cup finals on the trot in the Seventies but the football-mad country hasn’t forgotten the pain of being bridesmaid twice.

The Netherlands have to overcome the momentum Spain enjoy after their win over Germany in the semifinal and the ominous prediction of Paul the Octopus to lay their hands on the trophy. They certainly have the talent — individual as well as collective — to hurt the Spanish. But the pieces haven’t fallen into places so far.

Wesley Sneijder, a leading contender for the Golden Boot and Golden Ball, holds the key to end the Netherlands’ search for the holy grail. He hasn’t put a foot wrong in South Africa so far. But the biggest day of his career is hours away. By inspiring the Netherlands to the World Cup, he can become the owner of a unique record in world football after a treble season (League, Cup and Champions League) with Inter Milan.

“Third time lucky” is the central premise of Dutch hopes. Facing Spain in a neutral country has fuelled Dutch optimism because their previous losses in the final had come against host countries, Germany (1974) and Argentina (1978). Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk’s main concern will be to deal with the midfield mastery of Xavi and Andres Iniesta. His son-in-law and holding midfielder Mark van Bommel has his task cut out to keep Xavi and Iniesta calm. Half the job is done if the hardman has a fruitful evening. The threat posed by David Villa, also a claimant for two individual prizes, is another Dutch headache up front. Van Marwijk is expected to restore Nigel de Jong in his starting line-up. The midfielder missed the semifinal through suspension.

Spain, the new darling of the purists, will become the first country to win the World Cup after losing their opener if they overcome Dutch resistance on Sunday. Vicente del Bosque’s team has not reaped the rewards for their pleasing style here in terms of goals. They have reached the final by scoring only seven goals. For all their eye-catching performance against Germany, the winning goal, ironically, came through a set-piece. As a result of Fernando Torres’s poor form, Villa has had to shoulder extra burden in front of goal. Del Bosque may stick with Pedro in preference to Torres because the Barca youngster caused a lot of trouble to Germany’s seasoned defence in Durban.

The unwritten law in football is hyped-up matches often fall flat.The football world will be keen to see the law fail on Sunday night.