Holland confirm that they are a force

Friday 13 June 2008

Anyone calling these scores (3-0 to Italy and 4-1 top France) two weeks ago would have been taken away.

And even after the 3-0 hammering of Italy anyone saying Holland would do the same to France would have been deemed euphoric.

But it's true!

After playing the World Champions and the runners up Holland can show 7 goals and 1 conceded as prove for their case that they are indeed serious candidates for the title.

It was not as if France were hopeless, because they were not.

After Dirk Kuyt's opener in the tenth minute France took the initiative and tested the Holland defense on numerous occasions.

The Dutch bent but never broke.

Only after they had doubled the score by a fantastic counter attack that was instigated by a brilliant piece of tactics by coach Marco van Basten France really put the pressure on.

After a good first 20 minutes Orlando Engelaar started to suffer from the speed of the game and the long holding player was up for a replacement.

Van Basten saw the problem and reacted at half time.

But instead of replacing him with another defensive player Van Basten brought on Robben and took the problem back to the French.

Especially Liliam Thuram was unable to cope.

First he looked his age (38) when an amazing Van Nistelrooy flick saw Robben through on the left and had another sub Van Persie double the score.

Then right after lazy defending by De Jong and Mathijsen allowed Thierry Henry to pull one back Robben made something out of nothing with Thuram degraded to an innocent bystander as Robben a third Dutch goal from an impossible angle less than a minute later.

The French were devestated by that goal, and little could they do about Sneijder's fantastic strike in the dying seconds of the game to erase all doubt.

Holland entertained the world, Holland confirmed and Holland are now the team to beat.

History could be in the making here.

Holland: van der Sar, Boulahrouz, Ooijer, Mathijsen van Bronckhorst, Engelaar (46'/ Robben), Kuyt (55'/ Van Persie), Van der Vaart (79'/Bouma), Sneijder, Van Nistelrooy

France: Coupet, Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Evra, Makelele, Toulalan, Govou (75'/ Anelka), Ribery , Malouda (60'/Gomis), Henry

Score:
1:0 Kuyt (9')
2:0 van Persie (59')
2:1 Henry (71')
3:1 Robben (72')
4:1 Sneijder (90'+2).