Netherlands had more quality within their squad, as two stars Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder led them to a 2–1 victory over Slovakia on Monday in Durban. Netherlands, in their quarterfinal match on Friday, July 2 will face Brazil who beat Chile 3–0.
In the 18th minute Slovakia’s top scorer Róbert Vittek lost the ball to Sneijder, who beautifully sent a long pass to Robben, who showed why he is one of the most talented players in the world. Robben made his typical cut in to the left off the right wing, got rid of two defenders, and with his left foot fired in a low shot just inside the near post.
“It’s obviously fantastic to have Robben come back after injury and show that he’s already fit enough to be scoring that kind of goal,” said Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk on FIFA.com
“It’s a tremendous result, but that wasn’t exactly our best performance. Winning was the most important thing. We’ve yet to turn in anything close to a perfect performance,” said Robben.
“I’m very pleased with my own display. I’m not 100 percent fit yet, but it was good enough for today.”
In the second half in the 51st minute, the Dutch had two huge scoring chances, but both were denied miraculously by goalkeeper Jan Mucha.
A big opportunity to equalize came in 67th minute when Miroslav Stoch’s strong shot was punched above the crossbar by Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. Within the same minute Vittek had another scoring chance, when his shot which was blocked by Stekelenburg with a quick reaction save. These were the biggest opportunities for Slovaks to score.
In the 84th minute at the middle of the pitch, Škrteľ was booked after his foul. A quick free kick was taken, which found Dirk Kuyt, who passed the ball to Sneijder, who with the net half open scored the second Dutch goal.
In the final minutes of the match Slovakia´s coach Vladimír Weiss made two substitutions, which paid off, when both new men were involved in the Slovakian last minute goal. In injury time Marek Sapara´s cross to the box found Martin Jakubko, who was tackled by goalkeeper Stekelenburg and rewarded with a penalty shot.
Vittek took it successfully and became, with four goals, the top goal scorer of the tournament so far along with Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain.
The final whistle from Spanish referee Alberto Undiano ended the match, which ended Slovak hopes and sent the tactically mature team of the Netherlands into quarterfinal.
“The Netherlands were tough opponents. We were courageous and we threw our hearts into it. We’re proud we made it into the last 16, but the better team is through to the next round,” said Slovak coach Weiss.
“We’re winners to the people of Slovakia, and I hope we feel able to celebrate,” said Vittek.
In the 18th minute Slovakia’s top scorer Róbert Vittek lost the ball to Sneijder, who beautifully sent a long pass to Robben, who showed why he is one of the most talented players in the world. Robben made his typical cut in to the left off the right wing, got rid of two defenders, and with his left foot fired in a low shot just inside the near post.
“It’s obviously fantastic to have Robben come back after injury and show that he’s already fit enough to be scoring that kind of goal,” said Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk on FIFA.com
“It’s a tremendous result, but that wasn’t exactly our best performance. Winning was the most important thing. We’ve yet to turn in anything close to a perfect performance,” said Robben.
“I’m very pleased with my own display. I’m not 100 percent fit yet, but it was good enough for today.”
In the second half in the 51st minute, the Dutch had two huge scoring chances, but both were denied miraculously by goalkeeper Jan Mucha.
A big opportunity to equalize came in 67th minute when Miroslav Stoch’s strong shot was punched above the crossbar by Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. Within the same minute Vittek had another scoring chance, when his shot which was blocked by Stekelenburg with a quick reaction save. These were the biggest opportunities for Slovaks to score.
In the 84th minute at the middle of the pitch, Škrteľ was booked after his foul. A quick free kick was taken, which found Dirk Kuyt, who passed the ball to Sneijder, who with the net half open scored the second Dutch goal.
In the final minutes of the match Slovakia´s coach Vladimír Weiss made two substitutions, which paid off, when both new men were involved in the Slovakian last minute goal. In injury time Marek Sapara´s cross to the box found Martin Jakubko, who was tackled by goalkeeper Stekelenburg and rewarded with a penalty shot.
Vittek took it successfully and became, with four goals, the top goal scorer of the tournament so far along with Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain.
The final whistle from Spanish referee Alberto Undiano ended the match, which ended Slovak hopes and sent the tactically mature team of the Netherlands into quarterfinal.
“The Netherlands were tough opponents. We were courageous and we threw our hearts into it. We’re proud we made it into the last 16, but the better team is through to the next round,” said Slovak coach Weiss.
“We’re winners to the people of Slovakia, and I hope we feel able to celebrate,” said Vittek.
