The future’s bright… for the Netherlands
The future’s bright… for the Netherlands
By Amit Katwala, writing from London
On a shoddy pitch in Port Elizabeth, World Cup favourites Brazil came off second best against a Holland side that had yet to reach top gear, despite four wins out of four. In the build up to the match, pundits and press had been licking their lips at the prospect of Total Football meeting Joga Bonito, but the reality is that these sides are set up to get results. This meant that the first half was not the exhibition many had hoped for - it was stop-start for large periods, not helped by an overly officious referee who spent much of his time ensuring that free kicks and throw-ins were being taken from the right blate of grass. Brazil were stronger than they were skillful, and pushed the Dutch around in the early stages - a sending off always looked on the cards (sorry) and so Felipe Melo’s dismissal for a petulant stamp on Arjen Robben was no surprise. The Juventus defensive midfielder had been a pivotal figure - it was his beautiful curled through ball that set Robinho away for the opener after just 10 minutes. In truth, the central defensive pairing of Heitinga and Ooijer (a last minute replacement for Matihjsen) should have done better, and an exasperated Robben was the one who was left chasing after Robinho in vain before his simple finish.
