Nederland - Italië in de buitenlandse pers

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:21 schreef RayMania het volgende:
Toch is het opmerkelijk dat het EK weer 'geopend' moet worden door Nederland. Vier jaar terug ook al tegen Tsjechië en nu Italië.

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Dutch thump World Cup champions

The Netherlands stunned Italy 3-0 in their European Championship opener, leaving the World Cup champions fighting to avoid elimination from the first round.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder scored in the first half, and standout defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst added the third on a counterattack in the 79th minute to give Italy its most lopsided loss in the history of the tournament.

"This leaves us incredibly proud and with a great feeling," Sneijder said. "The first time is always incredibly important and to do this against Italy ... it gives us a lot of confidence. But we have to realise that it is not in the bag yet."

The Dutch carried several injuries into the match, but the Italians started with nine players over 30 and could not match the Netherlands for creativity and doggedness.

"It was a historic feat. This was Italy, the world champion," Netherlands coach Marco van Basten said. "I cannot name one player who played poorly."

Edwin van der Sar, the 37-year-old Netherlands goalkeeper, produced a stunning save on Andrea Pirlo's free kick to prevent Italy from getting back in the game in the 78th.

Van Nistelrooy's breakthrough goal was claimed to be offside by Italy, but the striker deflected a 20-meter (yard) shot from Van Bronckhorst past Gianluigi Buffon with an Italy defender off the field next to the goal.

The second goal was a perfect counter. Van Bronckhorst first kicked a ball off his own line in a goalmouth scramble and immediately rushed up the left, where he took a long pass from Rafael van der Vaart. The Italians had trouble dragging their aging feet back and were woefully out of position when Van Bronckhost sent a defense-splitting pass to Dirk Kuyt on the right.

The Liverpool player, who only started because of a groin injury to Arjen Robben, headed it perfectly into the path of Sneijder and the midfielder volleyed it past Buffon. There may not be a better goal in the tournament.

"We have been able to play superb football," Sneijder said. "Now we have to continue in the same vein."

The defeat left Italy last in Group C after France and Romania drew 0-0. A defeat against the Romanians could send the Azzurri out by Friday.

"We have to accept this loss and look ahead to our next two games," Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said. "That's the great thing about this (tournament). We face Romania right away and we need a win to restore our pride. We have to go out onto the field believing we can win."

The Italians may have had billboards saying "Spremuta d'Orange" - freshly squeezed orange juice - but it was a Dutch squeezing which left the Azzurri blue in the face.

It was not supposed to be like that, especially since the Dutch missed their mercurial wingers Robben and Robin van Persie. On top of that, its defense was supposed to be brittle, especially against tall men.

Van Basten, however, surprised everyone by playing Khalid Boulahrouz, who only came into the squad last week to replace the injured Ryan Babel.

It was by far the biggest victory for Van Basten in his four-year spell for the Netherlands and it will increase the pressure on Donadoni, who has never been able to fully assume the mantle of his World Cup-winning predecessor Marcello Lippi.

"We allowed two goals due to errors, but Holland did not completely outplay us," Donadoni said. "We started well, then we struggled a bit with our game plan. But from the desire point of view, the guys reacted well. Tonight just wasn't a night when the shots went in for us."

Italy standout defender Fabio Cannavaro was on crutches watching from the dugout after an ankle injury put him out of the competition ahead of its start. Marco Materazzi, a hero of the 2006 World Cup, was supposed to take over his place seamlessly.

It didn't work.

Materazzi could not keep pace with a reinvigorated Van Nistelrooy. Embarrassingly, he had to be substituted in the 53rd by Fabio Grosso and Donadoni had to rework his whole defense instead of beefing up the attack.

"We had three or four chances we didn't take advantage of," Donadoni said.

The victory ended a 30-year drought for the Dutch against Italy, who famously beat them in the semifinals of the 2000 European Championship, which the Netherlands hosted.

At the Wankdorf stadium, most of the stands looked an intense orange, and when most started singing "Hup, Holland, Hup," the Italians might have known it was all over.

Donadoni brought in Alessandro Del Piero in the 64th minute, but that too seemed to be for old time's sake. He had a good shot on goal, but he faced the older man, this one playing his best, Van der Sar.

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:26 schreef ThE_ED het volgende:

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Naja, er waren gewoon nog geen 2 klassieke toplanden tegen elkaar...
En idd verder gewoon ook enorm saaie wedstrijden verder.

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Tuesday June 10 2008

Oranje crush for tired Italy

GROUP C certainly feels like the Group of Death to Italy now, the world champions buried without trace by Marco van Basten's dynamic Dutch as Euro 2008 exploded into life.

Ruud van Nistelrooy opened the scoring, albeit from a position so offside he was almost in Austria, but there was no denying the brilliance of Holland's second, a fabulous volley from Wesley Sneijder. Giovanni van Bronckhorst's late header simply confirmed Italy's demise.

What a game. What a result. What a performance by the Dutch.

"Always look on the bright side of life," their jubilant fans chanted at the disappearing Italians. Group C really does stand for Carnage, not Calcio.

The listless stalemate between France and Romania had opened the door for one of these ambitious sides to seize the high ground in Group C. This encounter was as dramatic as events in Zurich had been lacklustre as Holland began dismantling the world champions' back-line.

The temperature was lower, the tempo faster, and the Dutch rapid-response unit in devastating form in the first half. Holland led 2-0 at the break, looking a real team, well-organised and well-motivated by Van Basten.

Division

All the talk of division in football's House of Orange seemed idle chatter.

With Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart outstanding in midfield, and Gio van Bronckhorst attacking productively down the left flank, Holland exuded balance and threat.

In midfield, Nigel de Jong and the massive Orlando Engelaar anchored Van Basten's 4-2-3-1 formation. Toughened up by van Basten, Holland survived early Italian pressure, when Andrea Pirlo pulled the strings, to seize control and punish the world champions' defence.

How Italy missed the leadership, tackling and mobility of Fabio Cannavaro, who hobbled to the bench on crutches, accepting the applause of the Italian fans and then watching wearily as Italy's defence crumbled so unexpectedly.

If Holland's gem of a second goal carried echoes of the Total Football shown in beating Italy at the 1978 World Cup, their opener was cloaked in controversy. When van der Vaart, having been felled by Massimo Ambrosini, bent over a free-kick after 26 minutes, the stretching Gianluigi Buffon could only tip the ball out to Joris Mathijsen, who immediately laid it back to the onrushing Sneijder.

Catching the ball first-time, the Real Madrid midfielder sent a low left-footer hurtling into the box. It seemed harmless enough, probably heading wide of Buffon's left-hand upright. Observing van Nistelrooy clearly in an offside position, Marco Materazzi and his fellow defenders waited for the linesman to flag. Waited and waited. The only significant movement came from van Nistelrooy, who flicked out a right foot to turn Sneijder's shot past the horrified Buffon.

As all of Italy screamed for offside, even van Nistelrooy sneaked a look back at the linesman before sprinting off to celebrate. Maybe the linesman was distracted by the sight of Christian Panucci, clearly injured, off the pitch. Really, there could be no maybes. Italy were robbed. Yet however much Holland's opener offended the sense of sporting justice, their second thrilled the senses.

This was counterattacking football at its very best, the ball speeding between quick minds and bodies. Not content with admiring his handiwork at clearing off the line, van Bronckhorst raced forward, making 50 yards at full pelt before collecting Sneijder's pass.

Italy, masters at defending, were ripped apart. Van Bronckhorst's pass added to Italian anguish, the ball lifted towards the far-post where Dirk Kuyt's cushioned header fell perfectly to Sneijder. His reaction was little short of sensational, the man from Madrid jumping up and volleying athletically past Buffon.

It was a goal that could have belonged in the glittering collection of van Basten, who leapt up, punching the air. Sneijder, emotion racing through his body, raced across to celebrate with Van Basten. The former AC Milan centre-forward relished the goal and the sight of his team playing with such brio.

In an amazing half, Holland could have made it three, van der Vaart delivering one of the passes of this nascent tournament, the ball hit at speed but with enough fade to take it around Materazzi and on to van Nistelrooy. Buffon sped off his line to block van Nistelrooy's shot.

What a turnaround. Italy had impressed more in the opening stages, flooding in blue waves towards sole striker Luca Toni, the surges so often triggered by Pirlo. The Milan midfielder turned away deftly from Rafael van der Vaart after eight minutes, creating space and always keeping a picture of his colleagues' movements.

Pirlo cleverly swept the ball wide to Gennaro Gattuso, who failed to make the most of the space and was soon landing his defenders in significant trouble. Gattuso, the self-styled "bulldog", showed the aggressive streak in his DNA, chopping down van der Vaart and then Van Nistelrooy.

Back came Italy, looking to exploit Toni's height. Gattuso lifted in a cross that Toni headed wastefully wide. In Italy's 4-3-2-1, Toni was supported closely by Mauro Camoranesi and the lively Antonio di Natale but the Dutch proved too strong, and they soon began to turn possession into goals. Only when Alessandro del Piero arrived midway through the second period, lending Toni closer assistance, did Italy conjure up more of a threat.

Italy awoke, Toni missing a sitter before Edwin van der Sar saved superbly from Fabio Grosso and Pirlo. And Holland had not finished. Kuyt clipped the ball in for Van Bronckhorst to head goalwards, the ball going in off Gianluca Zambrotta. Italy, goalless and pointless, have some catching up to do in Group C. (© Daily Telegraph, London)

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:21 schreef RayMania het volgende:
Toch is het opmerkelijk dat het EK weer 'geopend' moet worden door Nederland. Vier jaar terug ook al tegen Tsjechië en nu Italië.

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:27 schreef Hankster het volgende:

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Tsja, Roemenië - Frankrijk HAD een leuke pot kunnen worden. En van zeker van Duitsland - Polen had ik meer verwacht.

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GROUP C certainly feels like the Group of Death to Italy now, the world champions buried without trace by Marco van Basten's dynamic Dutch as Euro 2008 exploded into life.

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:36 schreef Irving het volgende:
Waarom krijgt Ruud van Nistelrooy zoveel credit in het buitenland? Hij wordt zo vaak genoemd in krantentitels en dat geeft de indruk alsof hij hoofdverantwoordelijke was, maar zo goed was hij toch niet?

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:36 schreef Irving het volgende:
Waarom krijgt Ruud van Nistelrooy zoveel credit in het buitenland? Hij wordt zo vaak genoemd in krantentitels en dat geeft de indruk alsof hij hoofdverantwoordelijke was, maar zo goed was hij toch niet?

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:16 schreef Juweel het volgende:
Wat een heerlijk nageniet topic is dit!

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:36 schreef Irving het volgende:
Waarom krijgt Ruud van Nistelrooy zoveel credit in het buitenland? Hij wordt zo vaak genoemd in krantentitels en dat geeft de indruk alsof hij hoofdverantwoordelijke was, maar zo goed was hij toch niet?

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:47 schreef SjaakSjofel het volgende:

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Idd. Hoe meer buitenlandse krantenkoppen ik zie, hoe trotser ik ben op de Nederlandse prestatie! Maarja, we moeten nu niet Frankrijk gaan onderschatten, hè. Het was niet alleen zo dat Nederland heel goed was, Italië speelde ook gewoon heel slecht! Maar als we vrijdag winnen, dan ben ik in één keer Nederlands grootste fan . Dan zijn we namelijk praktisch door de groupspoule . Maar verder dan de halve finale mogen we niet komen, ik moet om mijn toto's denken

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:36 schreef Irving het volgende:
Waarom krijgt Ruud van Nistelrooy zoveel credit in het buitenland? Hij wordt zo vaak genoemd in krantentitels en dat geeft de indruk alsof hij hoofdverantwoordelijke was, maar zo goed was hij toch niet?

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 12:54 schreef -Vaduz- het volgende:

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Hij was ook een van de uitblinkers, wat DANIL zegt, hoe hij liep, aanspeelbaar was, aanjager speelde. Hij hield ze achterin bezig waardoor Van der Vaart en Sneijder excelleerden.

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Op dinsdag 10 juni 2008 13:03 schreef MrFl0ppY het volgende:

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Vond hem ook niet super. 1 hele grote kans gemist, nog een kleine kans gemist en zijn goal was ook meer het werk van Sneijder. Nu gaat het natuurlijk niet alleen over goals maar toch. v. Bronckhorst en Sneijder waren toch echt wel super aan het spelen. Maarja zal er wel mee te maken hebben dat hij in buitenland wat meer bekend is.

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Nederland-Italië: Reacties van de Italiaanse media

In Nederland heerst een euforische stemming na de 3-0 overwinning op Italië. Maar hoe reageren de kranten in het land van de wereldkampioen een dag na de oorwassing?

Hieronder volgen de koppen op de voorpagina's van de edities van vandaag van de drie grootste sportkranten van Italië:

La Gazzetta dello Sport: 'Wat een dreun!'

De wereldkampioen ten onder. Buffon: "Het spijt ons"

Twee goede momenten van de Italianen, maar de eerste dubieuze (maar geldige) goal vloert ons. Veel gaten in de verdediging leveren al snel de 2-0 op. In de tweede helft komt onze reactie, maar missen we drie grote kansen en scoort Oranje nog een keer. De invalbeurten van Cassano en Del Piero halen niets uit.

Corriere dello Sport: 'Donadoni: een ramp'

'Azzurri' overlopen bij begin EK: 0-3 tegen Nederland. Buffon: "Onze excuses aan de Italianen."

Italië geen moment in de wedstrijd, alhoewel het eerste doelpunt niet geldig was. Invalbeurten van Cassano en Del Piero sorteren geen effect.

Tuttosport: 'Geef ons Lippi terug'

Donadoni laat Italië ten onder gaan: historische nederlaag tegen Nederland.

Ons nationale elftal leed nog nooit zo'n grote nederlaag tijdens een EK. Beslissend waren de verkeerde keuzes van de bondscoach: van de beginopstelling tot en met de laatste wissel.