An awful lot of scoffing in Brazil? No more

As the carriage doors of the slow train from Yokohama back to Tokyo slid open, they poured in like a slick of yellow, blue and green. The majority were bongo-thumping Brazilian followers, but there were a few stoic characters in the German strip, and a scattering in the co-hosts' blue. "Bra-zil, Bra-zil" was the ring leaders' raucous cry. And everyone joined in, rejoicing in the fact that the World Cup trophy was back in the most appropriate of hands.

Yet, it gradually dawned that behind the war paint were faces of those more likely to have been raised on the streets of Shizuoka than São Paulo. These elated supporters were virtually all Japanese. All one could say, in the wake of this most curious of World Cups, was that nobody was precisely as they seemed on first appearance. Not the supporters, and in some cases, not the players and teams either. Certainly not Brazil, about whom even their followers expressed severe misgivings on their squad's arrival, but who departed as rightful champions. Decidedly not those who had arrived as potential victors and left ignominiously before the serious element of the knock-out stage had even begun.

The heat, the turf, the ball, fatigue after a long European season, players' injuries, and dubious refereeing – the pleas for mitigation have been delivered by many, including Sven Goran Eriksson. In fact, the usual array of circumstances to explain indifferent performances after any World Cup. Which possibly made it all the more satisfying that the teams in last Sunday's final contained players who had recovered from injury and had played many domestic and European matches but who suffered few apparent ill-effects. What do Eriksson and Co say now?

Apart from Olivier Neuville's free-kick which smacked against a post, Germany never appeared capable of beating Brazil, merely of successful damage limitation. Until the intervention of Oliver Khan's aberration. You could only feel for the wretched Khan, sitting hunched against one of his posts at the final whistle as his team-mates, followed by the referee Pierluigi Collina and Brazil captain Cafu, walked over to pay their respects to him, as though the German goalkeeper had been bereaved. The veteran Bayern Munich man deserved far better than to join the David Seaman Generous Gloves Club by shovelling Rivaldo's drive into a grateful Ronaldo's path.

At least for Ronaldo, the war against his doubters is over. Difficult times can destroy some careers. But like Pele, who insists that problems make you stronger, Ronaldo sees it differently. "That's true in my case," reflected the striker whose eight goals secured him the Golden Boot. "Also, in the past two years I have become a father, which has been a great blessing and has helped me think more responsibly about my lifestyle. That's reflected on the pitch." He uttered those words, incidentally, before the tournament. The Phenomenon, as he knelt and prayed on those repaired knees after the 2-0 victory was secure, cannot have imagined how prescient they would be.

Ronaldo's contribution enhanced a final befitting the organisation that had preceded it. But will it also be inspirational for the co-hosts? After such a splendidly administered and enthusiastically supported tournament, will Japan (to borrow from the Shirelles' hit) still love the beautiful game tomorrow? Now thoughts are inevitably attuned to Germany in four years' time, it will be intriguing to observe whether Japan reverts once more to a land dedicated principally to baseball and sumo, their football team having enjoyed a pleasurable four-night stand, or whether their professed love becomes a long-term affair.

One suspects at least some residual effect in Japan, and it is difficult to imagine the fervour in South Korea subsiding entirely, despite the negative sentiments in some quarters about a team which, for all the accusations of refereeing bias towards Guus Hiddink's men, still performed with tenacity, spirit and no little talent to account for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland.

The promotion of a conspiracy theory against these co-hosts, where the game is still being nurtured at international level, by the main European football nations reeks of an imperious, patronising attitude. As for their busy, workmanlike style, no, it may not have been like watching Brazil. But who were, apart from Luiz Felipe Scolari's men?

The demands for the use of technology have been inevitable, but no more rationally argued than previously. The Fifa president Sepp Blatter's level of sagacity was not high during this tournament, but here he was on secure ground when he dismissed the concept of video replays.

We are repeatedly told that only the so-called "big calls", like penalty decisions, would be reviewed and hence wouldn't unduly slow the pace of the game. But what of the other instances, including questionable offsides, which are frequently highly significant? What about the foul against Greece that earned Beckham the chance to secure a place for England in these finals? In hindsight that dubious award was a big call too. And probably wrong. Judgement, anyway, is still subjective. Was Michael Owen's descent to earth against Argentina really a penalty? They'd probably get it wrong.

And as for the accusation that the hosts were favoured, well, of course, there is truth in that. Hasn't it always been the case? Anyone recall a certain second goal by Geoff Hurst in the final of 1966 among other incidents that year which benefited England? Which brings us back to Germany, who provoked some wry laughter when receiving a heroes' reception for finishing second after a sequence of victories against modest opposition, and a draw against a courageous and astutely coached Ireland. Yet, they have considerably more reasons to be cheerful than England after Eriksson's men began touting themselves as champions, and then went out, after some puzzlingly contrasting performances.

Never mind the "freak" goal – the one the nation would all still be in raptures about if it had been Beckham – which won the quarter-final for Brazil. What is more pertinent is that against those opponents, England played worse than Belgium, than Turkey, than Germany. Answers to that and other mysteries in Eriksson's post-World Cup report to the FA presumably? Despite sporadically decent displays against Sweden, Argentina, Denmark, and initially Brazil, England have prospects as uncertain as those of their coach, despite all the bravado from Eriksson and Beckham about Euro 2004 and Germany 2006.

We should perhaps ask ourselves, how many Brazilians would get into the England team? How about a school of Three Rs – Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho – Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Lucio, maybe Gilberto Silva, and you could argue about the remainder. That somehow puts England's claims into perspective after a World Cup which has reminded us never to dismiss Brazil.