Holland 2:1 Slovakia: match report

Unlike so many of the contenders for this World Cup, Holland certainly seem to have the advantage of knowing their best team.

In what was a first for any country in the entire tournament, the Dutch fielded players yesterday with the squad numbers one to 11 on their backs and duly delivered a performance to underline their status as one of the most settled and cohesive teams in the competition.

The nation of Johan Cruyff and 'total football’ could hardly be described as dark horses but, considering they are the only team apart from Argentina to have reached the quarter-finals with four straight wins, the efficiency of their progress has slipped under the radar.

Yet that suits Holland. Having started Euro 2008 with a bang before going home with a whimper, there is a sense of gathering momentum about this campaign. “We are here for one reason, and one reason only; at the World Cup you have to believe you can win it, people can laugh at us but we are third in the world rankings,” said manager Bert van Marwijk.


The inclusion yesterday of Arjen Robben, who was unable to start any of the previous matches due to his hamstring injury, certainly felt like the final piece in the Dutch jigsaw. Their progress through Group E had attracted criticism in Holland for being just a bit too functional, yet Robben adds a creative unpredictability to what was already a very firm base. Considering his lack of match fitness, his general contribution yesterday was staggering. “You need to be explosive; I was pretty free in this game but I know I am not yet at my top level,” he said. Vladimir Weiss, the Slovakia coach, simply called Robben a “genius”.

Robben took just 18 minutes to mark his first start of the World Cup with the crucial first goal. A 40-yard cross-field pass from Wesley Sneijder had put Robben clear in space, but he still needed to cut inside two Slovakian defenders and then drill his finish through the narrowest of gaps inside Jan Mucha’s near-post.

The second half began with a further moment of outstanding skill from Robben. He collected the ball on the edge of the Slovakian penalty area, cut inside Radoslav Zabavnik and Jan Durica then forced an excellent save from Mucha.

While Robben weaved his magic, the solidity of the Dutch midfield also caught the eye. On the rare occasions that Slovakia did gain possession, the shield of Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong broke up just about every attack before it got started.

The only area of doubt in the Dutch team surrounds Robin van Persie, who cut a dejected and petulant figure when he was substituted after another game without a goal. His general link-up play was good, but he missed three chances and exchanged words with Van Marwijk as he left the pitch. Van Persie later said he wanted to stay on because he recognised the need to score for his confidence.

Holland did add a second within three minutes of Van Persie’s departure. Dirk Kuyt made one of his typically selfless runs and beat Mucha to the ball before pulling it back for Sneijder to apply the finishing touch.

There was one final twist in stoppage time when Robert Vittek was upended by Maarten Stekelenburg and converted the resulting penalty with what proved to be the last kick of the match.