Uruguay Out Despite Dutch Courage
Holland 3-2 Uruguay Holland are through to a third World Cup final and first since 1978 having seen off a brave Uruguayan effort in Cape Town.
Tuesday's first semi final in may not have been the best game of this or any tournament but it did contain more goals than any semi-final since West Germany's penalty shoot out victory over France in Spain 28 years ago. That game finished 3-3, but was only 1-1 after 90 minutes. Nevertheless, it will still out last this game in the memory of neutral observers.
There may have been goals but the quality of both teams was poor for much of the game. In the first half the Dutch, despite taking a lead, were careless in their passing and unable to hold onto the ball for long periods, even when the game opened up after taking the lead through Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The Dutch left back rolled back the years with a goal reminiscent of this (5:18) against Ireland ten years ago.
For a few minutes the Oranje stepped up the pace but once Demmy De Zeeuw was kicked in the face by Martin Caceres the game slowed down again, allowing Uruguay to recover from the shock of conceding such a shockingly spectacular goal.
In time the South Americans clawed their way back into the game as the Dutch players failed to make the most of their advantage. Their attacking quartet were not playing in tandem and any time Robin van Persie got the ball he lost it to a Uruguayan defender.
Diego Forlan did his best to trump van Bronckhorst by equalizing from distance but in his case the Netherlands goalkeeper gave him a helping hand. The captain made space for himself 25 yards out by faking a shot with his right before shooting with his left. The unsighted Maarten Stekelenburg could only get a weak hand to Forlan's swerving shot and it was 1-1 at half time.
Holland's inability to control the game was a worry. The potential for an upset became very real once the Celeste levelled the scores.
Rafael van der Vaart's introduction in place of de Zeeuw may have been enforced through injury but it was also an encouraging suggestion that Bert van Marvijk had decided to throw another man forward. If their was one thing the Dutch didn't want it was penalties and a goal was needed to avoid that fate.
Footballers from the Netherlands subconsciously view penalty shoot outs as unsporting. If one cant win on the pitch in 120 minutes then one doesn't deserve to win at all. Defeats in 1996, 1998 and 2000 have proven that. Most famous of the three was the European Championship semi final of 2000 against Italy. Everything was on Hollands side, they were in Amsterdam and playing against ten men but they transpired to miss two penalties in 90 minutes and then lost the penalty shootout 3-1.
No spot kicks have been needed in South Africa so far as the Dutch scored the goals they needed to reach the final. A borderline offside was ignored by the Uzbeki assistant referee for the second goal. Van Persie didn't touch the ball but was definitely active and interfering with play. His right foot may have been beyond the last defender but it didn't connect with the ball and Wesley Sneijder's strike was allowed to stand. The Uruguayans were unimpressed but many would argue it wasn't offside at all.
Minutes later Arjen Robben settled matters with a rare headed goal. The flying Dutchman diverted Dirk Kuyt's cross in off the bottom of the post, leaving Fernando Muslera motionless in the goal. With the score at 3-1 the match was all but over and South American heads clearly dropped.
They fought on however although they never looked like scoring, and Diego Forlan's withdrawal looked to be the end. Forlan was central to everything his team did once again and has raised his stature and cemented his legacy with his performances in South Africa.
A smart free kick in injury time gave Maximiliano Pereira the chance to close the gap but it was too late. La Celeste threw a few hopeful balls into the 18-yard box but their aerial bombardment came to nothing. Despite the defeat they can leave with their heads held high. Their achievement of reaching this stage has been surprising and a romantic story. For those who thought that Uruguayan football was dead, they showed that they are still capable of fighting for World Cups despite their size and the continued expansion of the game around the world.
Holland will count themselves fortunate to be in the final and they will be major underdogs on Sunday no matter who they play. They rely to heavily on players like Mark van Bommel and, although absent today, Nigel de Jong.
They don't encapsulate what it is to be a Dutch footballer, a factor that has made many old romantics turn against this new generations style of play. Their two central midfielders spent more time fouling than playing football and not only was it a miracle than van Bommel wasn't yellow carded against Brazil, but hat he wasn't sent off or booked earlier against Uruguay. For all his persistent fouling, the Bayern Munich captain was only booked in the final minute for kicking the ball away.
If Holland are going to take away the trophy from Soccer City on Sunday night, they will need to step up another level.
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