Post by pieter on Jul 2, 2010 10:41:26 GMT -7
Dutch beat Brazil in surprise win
The portents did not look good for the Dutch. As they warmed up, Joris Mathijsen was substituted at the last minute by André Ooijer after he endured a knee injury. The Dutch were definitely the underdogs in the first half and went into the second half one-nil down. But a goal from nowhere put 'Laranja Mecânica' (Clockwork Orange) back in the game and with renewed confidence Bert van Marwijk's team upped the stakes by scoring a second goal.
Sneijder's goal meant the Netherlands were the first team into the semi-finals [GALLO/GETTY]
Shortly after kick off, it soon became apparent which team was stronger. The Brazilian team, dressed in a blue strip, rather than their usual yellow, went straight into the attack. Dani Alves was offside by just inches, when he passed the ball to Robinho to put the ball in the goal in the opening minutes. But it didn’t matter, because only ten minutes into the match Robinho scored from 20 yards out, after taking a pass from Felipe Melo on the halfway line.
Equalizer
Minutes later, an attempt by Dirk Kuijt to score the equalizer was foiled by Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar.
As temperatures soared in the Netherlands, it seemed that tempers were soaring in the sold-out Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Before the first half was over Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura had dished out two yellow cards: one to John Heitinga for fouling Luis Fabiano and later for Michel Bastos for fouling Arjen Robben. In spite of being in the lead, Brazilian coach Dunga vented his frustrations on the sideline, earning him reprimanding looks from the referee.
Less than ten minutes into the second half, the first Dutch goal came from nowhere. No-one saw this one coming, as Arjen Robben passed the ball to Wesley Sneijder who shot in the direction of the goal and the ball bounced off Felipe Melo’s head into the net.
Renewed confidence
The Dutch appeared to have regained their confidence and in the 68th minute, a corner by Robben was passed by Dirk Kuijt to Wesley Sneijder, who headed the ball into the net and the score was 2-1.
With the Dutch in the lead, the pressure was on the ‘canaries’ in blue. Felipe Melo lost his cool and tackled Arjen Robben to the ground giving him an extra kick when he was down. The referee didn't hesitate and sent him off. Brazil were forced to play on with ten men and to lose.
The unbelievable has happened. Brazil, favourite to win, is out of the World Cup. The last time the Dutch won against Brazil in a World Cup match was in 1974. In 1994 and 1998, Brazil beat the Dutch. Now the orange team is back on even pegging, after sending the South American champions home for a second time.
Sources: Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Al Jazeera
The portents did not look good for the Dutch. As they warmed up, Joris Mathijsen was substituted at the last minute by André Ooijer after he endured a knee injury. The Dutch were definitely the underdogs in the first half and went into the second half one-nil down. But a goal from nowhere put 'Laranja Mecânica' (Clockwork Orange) back in the game and with renewed confidence Bert van Marwijk's team upped the stakes by scoring a second goal.
Sneijder's goal meant the Netherlands were the first team into the semi-finals [GALLO/GETTY]
Shortly after kick off, it soon became apparent which team was stronger. The Brazilian team, dressed in a blue strip, rather than their usual yellow, went straight into the attack. Dani Alves was offside by just inches, when he passed the ball to Robinho to put the ball in the goal in the opening minutes. But it didn’t matter, because only ten minutes into the match Robinho scored from 20 yards out, after taking a pass from Felipe Melo on the halfway line.
Equalizer
Minutes later, an attempt by Dirk Kuijt to score the equalizer was foiled by Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar.
As temperatures soared in the Netherlands, it seemed that tempers were soaring in the sold-out Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. Before the first half was over Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura had dished out two yellow cards: one to John Heitinga for fouling Luis Fabiano and later for Michel Bastos for fouling Arjen Robben. In spite of being in the lead, Brazilian coach Dunga vented his frustrations on the sideline, earning him reprimanding looks from the referee.
Less than ten minutes into the second half, the first Dutch goal came from nowhere. No-one saw this one coming, as Arjen Robben passed the ball to Wesley Sneijder who shot in the direction of the goal and the ball bounced off Felipe Melo’s head into the net.
Renewed confidence
The Dutch appeared to have regained their confidence and in the 68th minute, a corner by Robben was passed by Dirk Kuijt to Wesley Sneijder, who headed the ball into the net and the score was 2-1.
With the Dutch in the lead, the pressure was on the ‘canaries’ in blue. Felipe Melo lost his cool and tackled Arjen Robben to the ground giving him an extra kick when he was down. The referee didn't hesitate and sent him off. Brazil were forced to play on with ten men and to lose.
The unbelievable has happened. Brazil, favourite to win, is out of the World Cup. The last time the Dutch won against Brazil in a World Cup match was in 1974. In 1994 and 1998, Brazil beat the Dutch. Now the orange team is back on even pegging, after sending the South American champions home for a second time.
Sources: Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Al Jazeera
