THERE is more than a touch of irony in the fact that the World Cup that has produced the most shocks ever will end with a final between the two most successful teams in its 72-year history.

The "minnows" have certainly had their day and the likes of Senegal, Turkey and South Korea can look back on their achievements with great pride.

But the fact that class and experience has told in the final reckoning does give me hope for tomorrow's big game - surely Brazil will win!

The most amazing statistic to have come out of this whole month of football, apart from the incredible number of breakfast references in Motty's commentary, is that Brazil and Germany have never met in the competition.

That is despite the fact that both will be playing in a magnificent seventh final.

So form students have absolutely nothing to go on, the head-to-head columns will be empty, and there can be no desire for revenge over past injustices.

This is simply, in true cliche style, the "samba boys" against the "efficient" Germans - and how many times will Gary, Des and Co. manage to use that sort of line.

It has been a decent tournament for cliche lovers with some old favourites England, as ever, being "plucky losers", Italians being "too defensive" and Spain "failing to fulfil their potential" - albeit with a couple of decent excuses to go home with.

But there have been a couple of new ones to make an appearance.

Dare one say the Koreans have been "dogged", Senegal have been, to Graham Taylor's obvious delight, "big" and Japan have been the "rising sons" of world football.

It is unlikely that any country, other than Brazil, will be so whole-hearted in their support of Ronaldo and co as England will be but the fact is there has been a huge sense of anti-climax from the moment England went out.

Some are trying to tap into that fervour with a lot of "go Tim" being shouted but it really is not the same is it?

Anyway, I thought Wimbledon was being relocated to Milton Keynes and the net replaced by concrete cows.

Can you imagine the hysteria there would be if it was us, and not Brazil, in the final tomorrow?

Sadly, for the next four years, imagination is all we have got.

For now there is nothing for it but to sit back and cheer on the boys from Brazil while enjoying that ultimate World Cup cliche - lots of bikini clad beauties shaking their stuff in support.