Buitenlandse pers over het Nederlandse elftal #2

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 08:31 schreef NorthernStar het volgende:

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Het is wat vaag geformuleerd maar het klopt wel redelijk dat we tijdens wedstrijden geen overdonderende indruk maken maar wel winnen. Terwijl het in het verleden vaak andersom was.

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 05:04 schreef TLC het volgende:

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(ach laat die jaloerse Belgen toch, zij zijn weer goed in veldrijden )

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 06:18 schreef MajieBeast het volgende:

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Zelfs the times moet even huilie doen want die ploeg van Engeland was zo goed...

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Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands: Oranje Make The Final Despite Late Celeste Flurry

The Oranje scored two second half goals to book their place in the final...
By Stephen Crawford

At full-time in Cape Town, South Africa, the first of two semi-final clashes has ended 3-2 to the Netherlands. Gio van Bronckhorst's early long-ranger was cancelled out just before half-time by a similar effort from Uruguay hero Diego Forlan. Second-half goals from Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and a late strike from Maxi Pereira made for a truly enthralling encounter.

The South Americans were, of course, without the services of hand-ball hero/villain Luis Suarez and left-back Jorge Fucile through suspension. Nicolas Lodeiro would also miss out after injuring his foot against Ghana, while a knock picked up against the Black Stars meant Diego Lugano wouldn't start. The Dutch had to play without right-back Gregory van der Wiel and holding midfielder Nigel de Jong.

The first chance came after Wesley Sneijder swung the ball into the box, having picked it up after Arjen Robben's first attempt came off of Martin Caceres. Muslera's punch wasn't convincing, and the ball landed at the feet of Dirk Kuyt, about 15 yards from the back post. The Liverpool forward took a touch and struck straight for goal, but his shot sailed over the bar.

Both sides enjoyed some of the ball in the first 15 minutes, but it was certainly the Dutch who looked the more dangerous side with it. While Uruguay were adjudged to be offside on a few occasions and trying a couple shots from distance, pressure from the Oranje was causing the Celeste to look a little uncertain in their defending.

And the pressure would pay off. Sneijder passed the ball to his skipper, Gio van Brockhorst, who was skipping up from left-back. Who knows what possessed the captain to have a pop from 30-odd yards, but his sweetly struck shot drifted beautifully past Muslera, smacking off the inside of the woodwork before eventually ending up in the top corner of the Uruguayan goal. Holland had the advantage.

Caceres then became the villain just before the half-hour mark. His dangerous acrobatics on the edge of the area saw his boot come of the face of Demy de Zeeuw as he tried an audacious overhead kick. The Barca-owned full-back was shown a yellow card by the Uzbekistanian referee for dangerous play while de Zeeuw sent a search party out for his teeth.

Edinson Cavani, who was failing to really get himself into the game, found himself with the ball deep inside the Dutch box. The Palermo forward held onto the ball far too long, leaving an unmarked Alvaro Pereira fuming in the centre. Pereira was afforded a second chance through with just over five minutes left in the first half, but his tame shot was aimed straight at Stekelenberg.

Just as it looked as though the South Americans were destined for a plane home, none other than Diego Forlan stepped up to produce another little piece of Celeste magic. The Uruguayan talisman found the ball in a central position, at a similar distance to van Bronckhorst's goal – and the outcome was the same. Beating Stekelenburg, the stinging shot shook the top corner of the net and Oscar Tabarez's men found themselves back in the game just before half-time.

Probably a little worse for wear, Demy de Zeeuw was hooked at half-time and replaced by a more attacking figure in Real Madrid's Rafael van der Vaart. Immediately the Dutch made it clear that they wanted an early second-half goal as they shot down the left. Some tense build-up would come to an abrupt end, though, as the linesman's flag rose for offside.

The Netherlands were soon to suffer a scare of there own, however, as a pass played in for Cavani prompted Stekelenburg to run out and meet the ball. The Ajax 'keeper misjudged the distance though, and Cavani was able to chip the ball over the goalie before hitting the ground from the challenge. Pereira was there to lap up the loose ball and strike towards goal, but Van Bronckhorst added to his heroic reputation by heading the ball away from the otherwise empty goal.

There was certainly no clear winner in terms of game dictation midway through the second half. Pressure from Uruguay won a free kick in a similar position to where Forlan buried a dead ball against Ghana. The set-piece forced a wonderful save from Stekelenburg though, who was all to happy to receive the praises of his team-mates. At the other end, Holland were carving out plenty of chances of their own.

It was only a matter of time before one of the sides took one of their many chances, and it was Wesley Sneijder who did so for the Dutch as he has done so often already. A strike from outside of the box seemed too fast for anyone to do anything about, and the ball rocketed low and hard into the bottom right corner of Muslera's goal. There was a hint of controversy though as van Persie, who did swipe at the ball in vain, seemed to be in an offside position. The linesman let it stand though, and the Dutch went ahead.

Just minutes later the Oranje struck again. A well worked piece of play saw Dirk Kuyt stretch the South American defence as he took off down the left. A perfectly weighted cross met the head of an onrushing Robben, whose simple nod was enough to put the ball past Muslera once more and take the score to 3-1.

In a game that really looked like it could have gone either way before the third goal was scored, the cushion of a brace truly handed the reins of the match over to the Dutch. They began to see the final few minutes of the game out in an incredibly relaxed fashion, and with the talismanic Forlan being subbed off for Sebastian Abreu, the match was all but over for their opponents.

In the first minute of an added three, Maxi Pereira clawed one back for the Celeste. Belting the ball goalwards after a well-worked Uruguayan free-kick, the Benfica defender's left-footed shot went past Stekelenburg and into the Dutch goalkeeper's net. It was not enough for the South Americans though, as the referee blew the whistle for full-time soon afterwards, allowing the Netherlands safe passage into the 2010 World Cup final.

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World Cup 2010 Comment: Pragmatic Netherlands Looking Just Champion

Despite only fleeting flashes of style the Dutch were again effective, says Goal.com's Andy Brassell...

By Andy Brassell
Jul 6, 2010 11:15:00 PM

In our World Cup Comment series, individual writers at Goal.com offer their views on the hot World Cup topics of the day with local expertise and a global outlook…

It was a strange feeling at the final whistle. Despite winning their semi-final against Uruguay by the odd goal in five - which seems like a ding-dong, on paper at least - the Dutch have once again left us feeling slightly unsatisfied, making us believe they have more to give. No matter - the Netherlands have a chance to make it third time lucky in the World Cup final in Johannesburg on Sunday, and they will care not one jot for popular opinion.

Captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst's stunning 18th minute opener, bringing back memories of his midfield pomp with Rangers, was a red herring, as was Diego Forlan's equaliser, a splendid strike too even if it did expose Maarten Stekelenburg's intrinsic fallibility, rarely tested so far in the tournament. This was a match - perhaps unsurprisingly - gripped by tension, which often threatened to boil over.

The pre-match patter of coach Oscar Tabarez and the Uruguayan camp had been how they would stop Arjen Robben. The answer was pretty obvious, and confirmed by one brutal first-half assault by Maxi Pereira next to the touchline, for which the Benfica man escaped sanction. Even luckier was Mark van Bommel, whose near-forearm smash on Mauricio Victorino in the lead-up to Van Bronckhorst's opener went unnoticed by referee Ravshan Irmatov.

With perceived weak links Khalid Boulahrouz and Martin Caceres performing admirably for their respective sides at full-back, an interesting battle of wills developed on the Dutch left wing between Maxi Pereira and Dirk Kuyt. These two workaholics of the modern game epitomised the attritional nature of proceedings, and ran themselves into the ground for the cause.

Maxi's fine injury-time consolation goal was just reward for a sterling tournament, while Kuyt's industry, as it often does, eventually bore fruit, with his pinpoint cross being adroitly headed home by a craning Robben for the (eventually deciding) third goal. The indefatigable Liverpool striker's nest intervention was arguably the most crucial of the match. His tremendous, sliding last-ditch challenge prevented a gilt-edged chance for an unmarked Victorino to snatch an equaliser mere seconds before the whistle.

In a bizarre role reversal, the Dutch will not be the choice of the purists should they face a hotly-anticipated rematch of their nation's finest World Cup hour, the 1974 final against West Germany, in the final. They shouldn't let it worry them. It has nothing to do with the current 4-2-3-1 system, which Johan Cruyff argues betrays Holland's heritage.

This has been in situ for while, but the inclusion of two genuine holding midfielders for most of the competition in Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong (a necessary measure to protect a suspect central defence) makes them more circumspect than in Euro 2008. The Dutch were wonderfully stylish in dismantling 2006 World Cup finalists France and Italy in that tournament's group stage, and how much good did it ultimately do them? None.

Wesley Sneijder, surely a now a strong favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or, has the passing range to cover make light of tight spaces, just as he did throughout Inter's successful season. He will be asked to do the same again in Johannesburg. If he ends up with the greatest trophy in the game, and the almost inevitable personal honour that would follow, he should raise a glass to Kuyt.

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Caceres then became the villain just before the half-hour mark. His dangerous acrobatics on the edge of the area saw his boot come of the face of Demy de Zeeuw as he tried an audacious overhead kick. The Barca-owned full-back was shown a yellow card by the Uzbekistanian referee for dangerous play while de Zeeuw sent a search party out for his teeth.

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 09:14 schreef Ericr het volgende:

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Ach ja de tering voor ze, als Nederland zou winnen met 11 man in een rolstoel zou het me niet eens boeien. Als ze maar winnen. Krukkenelftal of niet, ze staan gewoon in de finale. Dat downplayen hebben wel meer kranten last van Resultaten spreken volgens mij voor zich, Nederland is het enige land dat de hele WK-campage ongeslagen is gebleven. Toch knap als je dat lukt met een stel bejaarden, afdankertjes, uitgerangeerden etc zoals sommige het onschrijft. Dan moeten die andere ploegen al helemaal bestaan uit leprozen als je die keer op keer kan verslaan.

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World Cup 2010: Holland hold nerve to beat Uruguay and head for final



Arjen Robben celebrates scoring Holland's third and decisive goal. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images

Holland will strive to exorcise their history. On Sunday the national team enters their third World Cup final and on this occasion they need not reckon with the hosts as they did in 1974 and 1978 when defeated by West Germany and Argentina respectively. The Dutch will be pitted against fellow visitors to South Africa, Germany or Spain.

Their opportunity was merited. The second Holland goal, which re-established the lead, was messy and looked contentious at the time, but disallowing it would have been severe. Wesley Sneijder's drive deflected off Maxi Pereira and reached the net in the 70th minute. Uruguay will grumble that the shot went through the legs of Robin Van Persie, but it was hard to tell if the striker was offside when proving a distraction.

Controversy could have been drained from the evening, since Arjen Robben soon put Holland 3-1 ahead with an efficient header from Dirk Kuyt's cross. The opposition had too much pride, however, to let the game fade away and Maxi Perreira's perfect, curled drive cut the deficit in stoppage time.

Holland were scarcely masterly, but there has to be empathy for men under particular stress. The semi-final reeked of history as it pitted South Americans who had won the trophy twice against opponents with so much to rue in this competition. Few had anticipated they would both be in the last four but the teams themselves could not be star-struck when pressing difficulties had to be addressed.

Each had two men suspended, with Holland missing Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong while the opposition were without Luis Suárez and Jorge Fucile. The plight of Uruguay was greater still, however, because they also lacked the injured Diego Lugano and Nicolás Lodeiro. For a small nation whose means can be seen as limited the circumstances looked intolerable, although that misapprehension had been disposed of by the interval.

The football status of Uruguay is remarkable considering that it must draw on a population of a mere 3.3m, but there will always be spells when the limitations are not transcended. Holland imposed themselves from the kick-off with the conviction of men who knew they could neither be forgiven nor forgive themselves if these circumstances went unexploited.

That resolve would falter but Bert van Marwijk's side had opened with a purpose as they put the emphasis on the width that stretched their opponents painfully. There was discomfort in the Uruguayan ranks and Holland relished the control, even if their 18th minute goal was spectacular rather than planned.

From some 40 yards at an angle towards the left, Giovanni van Bronckhorst connected perfectly with a drive that flew high beyond the left hand of the goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Uruguay, all the same, are not the sort of line-up to be discouraged and efforts to respond were heartfelt.

There was briefly a misleading impression that nothing more than aggression would be employed and Martín Cáceres was cautioned for a raised boot that caught the midfielder Demy de Zeeuw on the head. He would be replaced at the interval, but four minutes from half-time the Dutch reeled for entirely different reasons.

Maarten Stekelenburg has received praise for his sound work as an unheralded Holland goalkeeper, yet he was baffled when Uruguay pulled level after 41 minutes. Diego Forlán, 30 yards from the target, showed all the confidence that has been brimming over in his work for the Europa League winners Atlético Madrid. There was power and movement in a shot that may have enjoyed a small deflection, but Stekelenburg was still embarrassed as it flew into the centre of the net.

There seemed to have been a foolish assumption on Holland's part that Uruguay could safely be left in possession and they exposed themselves to risk. It was reckless to act as if the opponents would pose no danger merely because Suárez, Forlán's partner in attack, was suspended.

Van Marwijk replaced De Zeeuw at half time and while the midfielder may have been shaken by his injury, the introduction of Rafael van der Vaart was surely intended to restore impetus. By then, of course, Uruguay were in no mood to be bashful as they appreciated that, regardless of the absentees, they were not at a ruinous disadvantage.

The fixture had a more gruelling air, with each team convinced it could get to the final yet nervous that a lapse would be catastrophic. The attacking continued but sharpness was elusive for a time.

Set-pieces therefore appealed and Forlán naturally took one from more than 25 yards out but Stekelenburg read the flight better than he had in the first-half and pushed it away. Holland then had a spell in which they recovered their poise in open play. The initial reward was an effort off-target from Robben after Van Persie's shot had compelled Fernando Muslera to parry.

People are not entranced by the present Dutch side as they were by its luminous predecessors of the 1970s. Perhaps that is all to the good. No one can pretend that a grand destiny must lie before them on Sunday and it could be that the prospect of a commonplace struggle will relieve them of undue expectations.

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Dutch delight - Holland end 32-year wait
07 July 2010
Carlos Amato

THE tangerine dream lives on. It may not have been a nerveless victory, but it was momentous. For the first time since 1978, the Netherlands have won the thrilling opportunity to contest a World Cup final at Soccer City.

THE tangerine dream lives on. It may not have been a nerveless victory, but it was momentous. For the first time since 1978, the Netherlands have won the thrilling opportunity to contest a World Cup final at Soccer City.

The Dutch rhetoric of confidence – they’ve always said they are here to win, despite neglecting to book hotel rooms for this week – is becoming less rhetorical by the day.
Bert van Marwijk’s team subdued an impressive Uruguayan fightback, but they will need to raise their game at the back.

A tincture of luck delivered the critical second goal – Wesley Sneijder’s speculative effort was wickedly deflected into the Uruguayan net. But the third strike, just three minutes later – a superb header by Arjen Robben from a delectable Dirk Kuyt cross – gave this triumph the style and elan that all Dutch sides crave.
And the opener was as mighty as it was momentous. Giovanni van Bronkhorst is one of the toppies of the tournament at 35, and his presence in the starting line-up was questioned by many.
He answered all those questions in the 18th minute, bolting into a clearing of space and striking a ferocious left-footed drive that dipped and barged in off Fernando Muslera’s far post. In the opening minutes, the Dutch bossed the proceedings as expected.

Sneijder’s well-weighted cross was punched onward by Muslera to a lurking Kuyt, whose first touch was neat, but he scooped his shot over the crossbar. Kuyt, so often maligned as an honest plodder, was nothing of the sort in the first quarter – he roamed with vigour on the left, and served up a fusillade of threatening crosses.

But for an audacious effort from 40 metres out by Alvaro Pereira, “Los Charruas” had little in the way of early retaliation. Diego Forlan’s angled passes were as brainy as ever, but there was no Luis Suarez on hand to read his brain. Edinson Cavani chugged about diligently, but he doesn’t have the nasty nous of the buck-toothed slapper.

But there are more villains where Suarez came from. Left-back Martin Caceres, in for suspended Jorge Fucile, felled Demy de Zeeuw with a recklessly acrobatic attempt to boot the Ajax midfielder’s head into goal. To his credit, Caceres showed proper concern for the befuddled De Zeeuw’s welfare, and then redeemed himself soon afterward by showing admirable strength to hold off a hungry Arjen Robben in the box.

Uruguay seized control of midfield, stroking the ball about with increasing brio and belief. It was no shock when Forlan gave us his now- customary show-stopper in the 41st minute. This was his third long- range screamer of this tournament: having received the ball from Mauricio Victorino in an innocuous position, Forlan turned in a flash and created a swerving monster that Maarten Stekelenburg could paw at but not stop.

Maxi Pereira netted with an excellent consolation strike to make the last couple of minutes extremely anxious.

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Dynamic duo help sink Uruguay

By Ryland James
6 July 2010, 23:32

Cape Town - Real Madrid rejects Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder once again showed the Spanish giants what they are missing as the Dutch dynamos helped book The Netherlands a place in Sunday's World Cup final

The pair have been in sparkling form in South Africa and their second-half goals within three minutes of each other sealed Holland's 3-2 win over Uruguay in Tuesday's semifinal.

After captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst opened the scoring with an 18th-minute thunderbolt, Bayern Munich's Robben and man-of-the-match Sneijder combined to floor the South Americans.

Uruguay captain Diego Forlan had given the Dutch a few nervous moments with his equaliser just before the half-time break, but Real's former stars made sure the Oranje will contest Sunday's final at Johannesburg's Soccer City.

First, Inter Milan's Sneijder slammed home his shot on 70 minutes which took a deflection off a Uruguay defender and rolled between Robin van Persie's legs to put the Dutch 2-1 up.

Then Robben, who has brushed off a thigh injury he suffered in a pre-World Cup warm-up, scored with a rare header just three minutes later.

The only blot on Sneijder's copy-book was his first-half yellow card, but the Dutch were not to be denied despite Maxi Pereira's consolation goal just before the final whistle.

"It was a hard match, but all that is forgotten now and we are in the final," said Sneijder, who now has five goals at the tournament.

"The most important thing now is to win. We are so close. There is nothing bigger than the World Cup."

Sneijder and Robben could now be returning to Munich and Milan as potential world champions after being forced out of Madrid to make way for star signings Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso.

Neither wanted to leave, but Real's loss turned out to be Bayern and Inter's gain as the pair were instrumental in their teams' meeting, ironically, back at the Bernabeu for May's Champions League final which Inter won 2-0.

Robben's transfer to Bayern cost 24-million euros, but he immediately repaid the Bavarian giants faith with two goals in his first game for the Germans and was their star player on the way to winning the Bundesliga and German Cup.

His trademark runs down the wing saw him score 20 goals in all competitions on the way to Germany's domestic double.

Likewise, Sneijder's has been inspirational at Inter and his vision, passing and power-packed free-kicks have brought a new dimension to the Italian's attacking play.

He has carried his form to South Africa with his 15-million-euro transfer looking a snip.

The pair now have a chance to help Holland to their first World Cup title.

The Netherlands are breaking records with every game.

If they can win Sunday's final, they will become only the second team to record a perfect World Cup campaign after Brazil in 1970, by winning every qualification and finals match. - Sapa-AFP

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The Oranje angels

Winners of Uruguay (3-2), the Netherlands qualify for the third World Cup final in their history. Sneijder scored his fifth goal of the competition.

After falling to Brazil, the Netherlands were defeated Uruguay on Tuesday night (3-2). But paradoxically, it was almost harder! For play to afford a final World Cup shakes the stump and confuses heads when making the right pass or the good type. This was true for the Dutch as for the Uruguayans. But ultimately, the experience of a Sneijder or Robben, the rage of a van Bommel and the success of a van Bronckhorst have weighed heavily in the balance to allow Oranje play their third final after 1974 World and 1978.

Held 1-1 at the end of twenty minutes by a team of Uruguay that has (good) played his game, van Marwijk's men were then able to let go. The entry of a more offensive player in the middle (van der Vaart) instead of a de Zeeuw struck by a kick, allowed them to play above. In four minutes (69th to 73rd) and two retractable poles, they sent the Celeste play a small final, which is not bad for a country of 3 million inhabitants. Typing Sneijder, unaffected by a van Persie who had a foot offside, restored the advantage to Oranje. The superb header following a Robben center Kuyt knocked the Charruas. They had, however, held firm so far, despite the absence of Fucile, Suarez (suspended), Lugano and Lodeiro (injured). Circling in the hallway of lockers just before the second half, they played their hand at the bottom.


Van Bronckhorst and Forlan: What strikes!

While entering their game, pressing up on Sneijder, Robben and Kuyt, Tabarez players have yet conceded the opening goal. In a huge hit from 36 yards and timed at 109 km / h, van Bronckhorst (18th) found the top corner opposite Muslera despite a huge lack of van Bommel in early action. Thirteen years ago, the left side of 34 years scored his first goal in oranje South Africa, already. 105 selections later, he scored only six. But that Tuesday night is downright the most beautiful in the World! Behind that of Forlan is not bad either. The equalization of Atletico, a superb strike from 30 meters left, has long maintained the hope charrua.

Like the reduction of the score to 2-3 signed Maxi Pereira (90) with endless stoppages in play The Uzbek referee, obviously delighted to be on the field, has enabled Uruguay to have one or two occasions . The Batavian defense held firm. In the final, the Netherlands recover van der Wiel and Jong cool completely. They'll need it against Germany (for a rematch of 1974?) Or Spain. - Cyril OLIVES

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The Dutch rhetoric of confidence – they’ve always said they are here to win, despite neglecting to book hotel rooms for this week – is becoming less rhetorical by the day.

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Robin Van Persie's attitude is pathetic. He barely bothers to celebrate when his team-mates score, you know, its only the semi-finals of the World Cup !! He seems like a surly, self-centred mardy puss. The Dutch would be much better off with Jan Vennegoorofhassellhoff in his place.

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 11:04 schreef CptChaos het volgende:
reactie bij het artikel van the Guardian
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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 01:21 schreef Fir3fly het volgende:
Ik begin me er aan te ergeren dat we nu constant 'Holland' worden genoemd.

Ook niet leuk dat Nederlanders daar zelf ook aan mee doen overigens.

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 11:04 schreef CptChaos het volgende:
reactie bij het artikel van the Guardian
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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 11:04 schreef CptChaos het volgende:
Jan Vennegoorofhassellhoff

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In de Nederlandse bladen wordt hij (van bommel) de man van het elftal genoemd.

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In het Derde Rijk was Hitler ook de man zenne.

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Op woensdag 7 juli 2010 09:14 schreef Ericr het volgende:

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Ach ja de tering voor ze, als Nederland zou winnen met 11 man in een rolstoel zou het me niet eens boeien. Als ze maar winnen. Krukkenelftal of niet, ze staan gewoon in de finale. Dat downplayen hebben wel meer kranten last van Resultaten spreken volgens mij voor zich, Nederland is het enige land dat de hele WK-campage ongeslagen is gebleven. Toch knap als je dat lukt met een stel bejaarden, afdankertjes, uitgerangeerden etc zoals sommige het onschrijft. Dan moeten die andere ploegen al helemaal bestaan uit leprozen als je die keer op keer kan verslaan.