Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk most of all praised his defense: "We stood our ground very well defensively. Against this opponent that counts. Normally we have the qualities to make a difference up front in a game like this. But today we couldn't and that's a petty. We had some trouble in the opening minutes, but we were able to sort things out quickly. All in all it was a poor game."

Italy and Holland head-to-head

All matches of the Dutch national team

"The intellectualisation
of football has
always foundered
on a simple problem-
-the players. Doing
all your most
rewarding thinking
with your feet seems
to dull the philo-
sophical impulse.
Unless, of course,
you are Dutch.
According to legend,
Europeans played
a moronic, muscular
version of the world's
game, until Holland
proclaimed its vision
of total football in the
1974 World Cup,
and enlightenment
dawned."

From:
Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football