Beckenbauer critical of World Cup final

Berlin: German great Franz Beckenbauer says the World Cup final turned into something of an "anti-advertisement" for football and was impressed by Germany.

Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in a bad-tempered final on Sunday when 14 yellow cards and one red were issued.

Beckenbauer wrote in Tuesday's edition of German daily Bild that it should have been the World Cup's high point "but this final unfortunately was rather an anti-advertisement for football."

He said the match was "lacking flow, (with) constant protests from the players and a referee who didn't have too much of an overview."

Beckenbauer wrote that Germany's performance on its way to third place offered the opposite of that, with "likable behavior and attractive play."