First published by L.S.Media. August 12th 2012.

All things being equal, this was probably the best final possible. The Olympic gold medal holders against the best team in the competition, Germany V the Netherlands, the tension and the excitement were palpable and electric. No matter the sport, no matter the tournament, The Netherlands V Germany is a fixture that has history, a little slice of the needle that makes sport so interesting and vital.

As the two national anthems rang out over the Riverbank Arena, there couldn’t have been anyone who present inside the arena or watching on television around the world who was not chomping at the bit and eager for the game to start.