Some 500 years ago, The Netherlands were under the control of the Spanish Empire, finally winning independence in 1648 after a war lasting 80 years.

Tomorrow, at Soccer City in Soweto, South Africa's former colonial masters will have to battle to avoid domination of another kind – this time involving possession of a football.

Spain qualified for the final by keeping the ball against a very good German side that, except for sporadic counter attacks, could not generate the attacking bursts that saw them score four goals on three occasions earlier in the tournament.

The Spaniards' ability to neutralise Germany's attackers, Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose in particular, played a vital role in the victory. It has been the Spanish pattern for the entire tournament – they have conceded just twice in six matches, keeping four clean sheets.

The Dutch, meanwhile, have shown a resilient streak that has taken their unbeaten string to 25 matches. They were unbeaten in qualification for the World Cup, and have strung together six consecutive victories in the tournament.

The Netherlands have shown a tendency to become complacent – they relaxed against Uruguay while enjoying leads of 1-0 and 3-1 – and they will have to be at their best against a Spain side whose passing game demands the full concentration of their opponents. Often in this tournament, what seems like a benign period of possession has ended in a ruthless through ball that has sprung one of the fleet Spanish attackers.

Manager Vicente del Bosque must hope that his attacking players turn possession into goals more often than they have to date. Spain have scored just seven times in six matches at this World Cup – the more prolific Dutch have scored 12 goals – and much of the reason for that is due to Spain's misfiring marksman, Fernando Torres.

Del Bosque took the courageous decision to leave the Liverpool star on the bench in the semi-final against Germany, only introducing him for Villa late on. Spain, for all their possession, need Torres to complement Villa tomorrow. I fully expect del Bosque to include his two best strikers in the starting line-up, or they may pay dearly against a Dutch side that has its share of match winners in Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie, and Wesley Schneider.

Although I picked Spain to win the tournament before it began, tomorrow's final offers neutrals an excuse to cheer for either side. Spain have an opportunity to win their country's first World Cup, while the Dutch have been given a chance to address the disappointment of their 1974 and 1978 final defeats. This time, at least, they won't have to beat the hosts. Whichever side wins, it will be the first time that a European team has won the World Cup on another continent.

The match will be our 12th, and so far we have been extremely lucky. While some have complained about the quality and entertainment value of the tournament, we have wondered which competition they have been watching – our matches have featured 35 goals, an average of more than three per game. Twice, we have seen five goals in a match, and we have seen four goals in a match on three occasions.

We can only hope that our fortunate run continues.

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Fans wishing to see technology used to assist referees with difficult decisions can now support an online petition being sent to FIFA.

At www.petitionfifa.com, fans can add their signatures to a petition that reads:

To Mr Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA

Dear Mr Blatter

I am a football fan. I recognise that referees are human and that even the best ones make mistakes. I believe that referees need and deserve the support of technology such as video-replay whenever it can be afforded. The integrity of the sport of football depends on it.

Please ask the International Football Association Board to take my preference into account when it meets in July to reconsider this topic.

Veteran World Cup observer Duncan Hall is reporting exclusively from South Africa for The Royal Gazette.