Holland Archive

2

Holland vs Uruguay

By
Omar Al-Duri
– July 7, 2010

Holland maintained their impressive winning streak to book their spot in the World Cup final with a 3-2 triumph over Uruguay,for the first time since 1978. Bert van Marwijk’s side, who are on course to raise their first World Cup trophy, were shown real fight by the South Americans, but eventually edged home to complete a 25-match unbeaten run.Giovanni van Bronckhorst was the hero for Holland in an enthralling first half as he powered home an unstoppable strike from long range that even Luis Suarez’s ‘Hand of God’ would have struggled to keep out.Uruguay were gifted an equaliser when goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg failed to deal with Diego Forlan’s long-range shot.Man-of-the-moment Diego Forlan  unleashed his Midas-touch just before the break as he curled the equaliser past Maarten Stekelenburg.He has been a revelation for Uruguay and been humble about his business throughout the tournament which has earned him alot of respect and appraise.With huge complements echoing around the World Sir Alex Fergusons comments must of hit home when he regretted letting the Uruguay captain leave Manchester United,being one of two regrets in his career.

But Sneijder and Robben again made the difference for the two-time runners-up, who were left hanging on at the end following Maxi Pereira’s injury-time reply. However, the Dutch held firm to make sure of their progress.What promises to be an interesting final awaits as Germany and Spain meet tonight to earn the right to face Holland.The Spanish who can keep possession of the ball for large parts of the game against the elaborate counter attacking German Side who have produced the best football displays in the whole tournament scoring 12 goals in just 3 matches.Whoever wins will be a task for Holland ad will dictate whether this Dutch side is just a shadow of Cruyffs men in the 70s or a fine show of Dutch class! Holland 3 Uruguay 2

0

Holland vs Slovakia

By
Omar Al-Duri
– June 29, 2010

Holland advanced to the next round with a fine overall performance against Slovakia in a predicted victory in Durban.Vintage performances from Arjen Robben,Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneider helped take the Dutch to third gear and i say third gear because there is still alot more to come.With the form he is in at the moment he is most certainly up there with Ronaldo,Messi and Ozeil.How fitting it is that he opened the scoring when Sneider played a fine ball for the ongoing Robben to sprint,collect the ball,come onto his favourite left foot and drill the ball home.Van persie made an intelligent run across Robben to divert attention and despite it being Robbens preferred move it still worked and kept them comfortable for most of the game in a 1-0 lead.For Slovakia, head coach Vladimir Weiss selected his son of the same name, with the Manchester City youngster coming in for Zdeno Strba.Slovakia enjoyed a confident start to the fixture as a bright counter-attack in the second minute saw Weiss pass to Erik Jendrisek, whose strike from outside the box zoomed over the bar.A managers dream is to have a player that will give everything he can and drop every last drop of blood on the field knowing there is not much more you could have give.Dirk Kuyt is not the most technically gifted or talented footballer but one thing he does portray is heart and determination to produce the type of performance that will complement the technically gifted Dutch sides who have produced skillful players generation after generation e.g Ajax Academy

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk opted to keep Kuyt in the team despite the class of  Van DerVaart and that shows his importance in the Dutch side.. The Liverpool forward got his head up and rolled across goal for Sneijder who buried into the exposed goal and ensured of Holland’s progress.But there was to be some cheer for Slovakia when Vittek grabbed his fourth goal of the tournament in the fourth minute of injury-time, dispatching from the penalty spot after a foul by Stekelenburg on Martin Jakubko in the area. Yet it proved nothing more than a consolation.The only sour point for the dutch was on 80 minutes when Van Persie was substituted and couldn’t hide his frustration remonstrating with the coach.This could be analysed in two ways:
1-being that its petulance and signs of the old VanPersie that was temperamental yet individually talented
2-The blessed gifted footballer that has channeled his aggression and hunger to make him a winner despite being plagued with injuries ,showing the drive lacked in the over priced game…

Holland 2 Slovakia 1

0

Holland vs Cameroon

By
Omar Al-Duri
– June 25, 2010

Holland maintained their 100 per cent record at the World Cup as they ensured Cameroon left the tournament pointless after running out 2-1 winners in their final Group E game.Coach Bert van Marwijk’s Dutch side, who will face Slovakia on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals, had to work harder than expected for the points against a spirited Cameroon side, who were already eliminated after losing their first two matches.Robin van Persie’s crisp 36th minute strike gave the Green Point Stadium crowd something to get excited about  and divert their mind to the next stages.Paul Le Guen’s side did not have to wait long for an equaliser, however, as referee Pablo Pozo had no choice but to point to the spot after Geremi’s free-kick clearly struck Van der Vaart’s arm – and Eto’o stepped up to score his second goal of the tournament.The Dutch had alot to cheer about as they saw the fan favourite Robben warm up to grace the field and add to the phenomenal attacking options the Dutch possess.He made an impact quickly, too, cutting inside and firing a trademark left-footed shot which hit the post and fell to Huntelaar to restore his side’s lead in the 83rd minute.It must be like signing a star player for a club team during mid seasons to influence the domestic campaign and Robbens timing couldn’t be any better as there is a chance Holland will meet Brazil in the Latter stages.A mouthwatering encounter would be the head to head between Maicon and Robben who faced each other in the Champions League final.Robben has had a fantastic year proving that his move from Madrid was the right one exceeding expectations with Bayern Munich reaching the final.Maicon on the other hand has been a breath of fresh air for club and country winning the treble with Inter Milan and shining in a Brazil side that hasn’t always been highlighted for their defensive strengths.
Holland 3 Cameroon 1

0

Holland vs Japan

By
Omar Al-Duri
– June 20, 2010

Holland made it two wins out of two in Group E with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Japan in Durban. I did say there was something about this Holland side that is really striking unlike most dutch teams in major tournaments.I figured it out and its a mixture of a great team spirit with no major egos clashing and a blend of silky skills and aggression that they are not worried to scrap with the scrappers and dance with the dancers.The successful seasons in Robben and Sneider havent showed in any sense that fatigue is catching up because they are enjoying their football and eager to get the ball and play and that’s been missing in alot of teams lately.Yet is far more than those two players as they may spring a surprise in the talented Afellay who is yet to be exposed on the scene or the leadership of Van Der Vaart.


De Jong and Heitinga battling to win the ball back and spread the play expanding the field and not letting the typical compact side overcrowd them in the middle.Wesley Sneijder’s powerful 52nd-minute winner from just outside the box settled a fascinating Group E contest between two contrasting sides who opened up in the second half and were creating good chances right up to the final whistle.The Japanese do have the engine to match teams for stamina and endurance but just lacked in technical ability compared to the Dutch.With a passing success rate of 86.5% and a tackle success rate of 81 % this dutch side is definitely putting the hard work in and pushing their personal best boundaries. Holland 1 Japan 0

web development