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Johannesburg - There was a bright orange glow over Soccer City in Johannesburg on Sunday as the sun set and thousands of Netherlands fans turned up for the final against Spain in full war paint.
The number of Spain and Netherlands fans were roughly even but the Dutch outshone their rivals, dressed up in bright orange from head to toe. Many painted their faces orange too.
Orange wigs, orange hats, orange lion suits, and even orange crowns and other royal regalia were on full display at the stadium.
A woman named Klara came dressed in a Dutch traditional costume, all in orange, and said she believed her compatriots had proven more creative in their outfits than the Spain fans.
Three hours before the final, the Soccer City Stadium was almost half full, and fans were pouring in in a steady stream.
Former Gauteng transport MEC Ignatius Jakobs said South Africa had a lot to be proud of after hosting a much-praised world cup. He said he was very happy with the way in which people used public transport in Gauteng to attend matches.
Public transport
About 30% of people coming to stadiums in Gauteng used public transport.
He said the final had divided his family as he and his wife supported the Netherlands, while their children were rooting for Spain.
A highly pregnant woman named Jacqueline arrived dressed in a Bafana Bafana jersey and said she was going into mourning after the world cup.
"It is so sad that it is almost over, I'm going into mourning until my baby is born," she said.
Her husband, Elvin, said: "The world cup has definitely boosted the country and brought about a more positive attitude towards South Africa from foreigners."
Earlier, two Netherlands fans at Soccer City were convinced their team would win the world cup final after obtaining tickets to the match in the most unusual way.
Nora Robenburg and Imara Van Loon, two students based in South Africa since January, pitched up at the stadium on Sunday without tickets to the game.
Free tickets
However, the first person they met there was a man from Holland who offered them two category one tickets worth $900 each for free.
The two students were speechless as they stared at the tickets in disbelief.
They had come to the stadium not expecting to get in, but will now be able to see the entire match from inside, and from the front row.
"I can't believe it, I'm still shaking," said Robenburg, dressed all in orange with an orange fluffy wig and glitter on her cheeks.
Van Loon said the Dutch were bound to win the match because, obviously, luck was on their side.
On the other side of the city, at the Centurion fan fest, the queues at the beer counters grew longer and longer while the coffee tent stood empty.
Queues
Most people exercised patience, but others resorted to jumping the queue in their quest for sustenance.
Brian, who declined to give his last name, said it was "ridiculous" to have to wait. One had to be "clever" and cut in, he insisted.
He had managed to drink four beers while other people were still queuing for their first.
Several other fans simply bought several beers at once to save themselves the effort of queuing again.
Fans were being entertained by musician TK Zee and others ahead of the final at 20:30.
