Cameroon 1 Holland 2: match report

Arjen Robben reinforced Holland’s World Cup prospects by returning from injury as the Dutch confirmed top spot in Group E with victory against Cameroon.
The Bayern Munich winger, sidelined for three weeks with a calf injury, created the winner for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on 84 minutes shortly after being introduced as a substitute by coach Bert van Marwijk.Samuel Eto’s second-half penalty, which cancelled out Robin van Persie’s 36th-minute opener, appeared to have dented Holland’s 100 per cent record so far in South Africa.

But the Dutch secured a last-16 tie against Slovakia when Huntelaar scored from a tight angle after Robben’s 25-yard strike had hit the post.
Considering their status as one of Africa’s footballing superpowers, Cameroon’s failure to even threaten qualification for the knock-out stages will be viewed as one of the continent’s biggest disappointments once the World Cup post mortem begins.
But Cameroon are a fading force on the world stage. Their heroics of Italia 90 remain imprinted in World Cup folklore, but the Indomitable Lions have won just one game on this stage - a 1-0 success against Saudi Arabia in 2002 - since Roger Milla danced in celebration following a second round win against Colombia in 1990.
Milla’s on-going verbal spat with Eto’o, Cameroon’s captain, has provided an unwanted backdrop for coach Paul Le Guen and his squad.
Eto’o, who dismissed Milla as "that old geezer" earlier this month, went into this fixture with the World Cup icon claiming the Inter Milan forward ‘has brought nothing to the team’ in South Africa.
So expecting Cameroon to upset the odds against Holland was perhaps unrealistic in a game that meant little to either team.
Paul le Guen’s players responded well after falling behind, however, and Eto’s penalty, awarded following a Rafael van der Vaart hand-ball, was just reward for their refusal to buckle.
Holland are proving to be a genuine force in this competition, though, and Robben’s introduction further sharpened their cutting edge.
If the former Chelsea winger can avoid further injury setbacks, even the prospect of a quarter-final meeting with five-time world champions Brazil should not overawe Bert van Marwijk’s team.