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Another easy victory for Dutch team
Wednesday 01 April 2009
Holland are virtually qualified
for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after another
easy 3-0 victory over Macedonia.
The score was reached at half-time.
The game had an almost similar
scenario as Saturday's game against Scotland, as tonight
too the opposition was able to keep pace with the Dutch
in the first fifteen minutes, but after Holland scored
the first goal all resistance was broken.
It was a fine goal by Dirk Kuyt,
who once again showed just why he is valued by every
coach and team he has played for.
Industrial on the right wing, working
hard and showing the mentality needed, but also connecting
with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the box at the right moments
and adding extra danger to the Dutch forward moves.
After 15 minutes Kuyt opened the
score from a rebound on an Arjen Robben shot, 10 minutes
later Klaas-Jan Huntelaar doubled the score with a clinical
finish and 15 minutes after that Kuyt scored his second
of the night when Wesley Sneijder sent him on his way
to the Macedonian goal.
It meant that all was decided before
the break, and frankly the Macedonians asked for it.
Playing with five defenders - three
in the center and two on the wings - is a pretty old
fashioned way of playing football, and it gave the Dutch
midfielders all the time in the world to set up the
Dutch forward moves.
After the break coach Bert van
Marwijk took of Arjen Robben who had taken a few knocks
in the first 45 minutes and replaced him with Ryan Babel.
But despite the new blood in their
ranks Holland took it easy in the second half only to
see Rafael van der Vaart score a fourth in the 88th
minute.
The clean sheet meant a new though
meaningless record for Oranje, with five clean sheets
in a home game in a World Cup qualifier.
All in all a 4-0 win and the virtual
qualification for the World Cup should satisfy everyone
involved although it can be argued that the fans who
paid good money for their seats could have been offered
a bit more entertainment in the second half.
Poland tonight showed that it doesn't
have to be over when a clear margin has been established
at half time, as they beat San Marino 10-0.
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