2010 World Cup Semi Finals
Tuesday 6 July 2010 | Green Point Stadium | Cape Town, South Africa
This one didn't have the Shakespearean drama of the two previous quarter-final matches - Uruguay v Ghana and Spain v Paraguay - but it was well-played nontheless. This evenly-played match between two sides of high quality with discipline featured two captains, each scoring on thunderstrikes from long distances, of sides desperately trying to reach their third World Cup final.
The game was lulling along - both teams just trying to find their feet. Holland were getting most the play, finding their attack in the opponent's box more than Uruguay. All of a sudden, in the 15th minute, the match slowed down as the Orange became very patient, pleased to bat it about in the midfield and control the tempo. Three minutes later, Holland captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in acres of space on the left as he collected a pass from Demy de Zeeuw who was directing traffic in the center. Van Bronckhorst didn't think twice as he let go a whistler into the upper right hand corner of goal, the ball neatly glancing off the right upright, just below the cross bar, after barely rolling off the fingertips of Uruguyan goal keeper Fernando Muslera.
That's what captains do - have a go at it once in a while. Why not? When you are in space and can get full power on the shot, funny things happen, like goals in the semi final of the World Cup that put your country up 1-0 and make your nation think that this just might be the magical World Cup after unfulfilled expectations of years past.
The Dutch have a glorious football history and tradition, but with unfulfilled expectations nonetheless.
Before the Dutch captain's opposite number could have his go, things got a little edgy, punctuated by Martin Caceres accidentally kicking Demy de Zeeuw in the face as both players battled for a high ball. Players began a little sniping, and the Uruguyan's started going to ground out of frustration like "pantomime villans" as Ian Darke adroitly put it on the ESPN television broadcast.
But back to the captains...
With Uruguay missing Luis Suarez due to his red card in the last match, it was up to Diego Martin Forlan Corazo (known to the footballing world as Diego Forlan), the striker from Montevideo who plays his club football for Athletico Madrid in La Liga, to carry the goal-scoring torch for La Celeste. On 41', just as van Bronckhorst had a successful go on goal from long distance 23 minutes earlier, Forlan took a pass on the right side of midfield from Walter Gargano in midfield and quickly dribbled to his left looking for space. He found loads of it. Forlan let go another whistler from about 30 yards toward the center of the goalmouth and just under the cross bar. Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg had been standing right there, but he chose to move slightly to his right immediately before Forlan made contact - anticipating, not reacting. The ball went to where Stekelenburg had been standing and just far enough to his left to give him worry. The Dutch keeper only got his left hand's fingertips on the ball and the match was suddenly, shockingly even, 1-1.
Sneijder and Robben go dutch for the Dutch
You just had the feeling that Uruguay was the little engine that not only could, but would win this thing in the second half. Uruguay was breaking up Dutch possession very effectively in the midfield, and almost had a golden chance on 51' when a poor Dutch backpass by Khalid Boulahrouz on the right wing toward the Dutch keeper resulted in Edinson Cavani poking the ball to Alvaro Pereira who then immediately lofted it toward the Dutch goalmouth (the keeper had come out of his position), but Dutch captain van Bronckhorst was right in front of goal for Holland to head the danger away.
About 10 minutes later, the Dutch had a great spell of play for a couple of minutes in and around the Uruguayan box, and five minutes later, Robin van Persie after controling a high ball neatly at the top of the the box delivered a nice pass to Rafael van der Vaart who's left-footed curling shot was saved in fine fashion by Muslera, but the rebound went to his left where Robben was waiting. Unfortunately for the Orange, Robben's stride left the ball waiting for Robben's non-favored right foot and flew his attempt well over the cross bar.
At 70', the Dutch finally got the spoils of their efforts. After dispossessing Uruguay in mid field, the Dutch made some nifty passes to control possession and slither the ball around the top of the box. In the end, Wesley Sneijder took a shot from the left top of the box. Robin van Persie was stationed about halfway between Sneijder and the goal. The ball was headed to the left post but deflected of the legs of Uruguay's Maximiliano Pereira sending it right at van Persie who looked like he might have nicked the ball just before it eluded the Uruguayan keeper and hit the far post and deflected in, but the ruling was that Sneijder had his fifth goal of the World Cup.
Only two minutes later, on 73', Dirk Kuyt was wide left with the ball near the touchline. He dribbled in toward the box and whipped a perfect centering pass into the box where Robben was waiting. Arjen came back just a little to the ball that was curling away from goal, just enough to give him a measure of space, for a powerful header that hit the left post near its base to seemingly break Uruguay's will with a 3-1 lead for Holland.
It's never over...
The Uruguayans looked dejected. They had that right - they surprised all doubters in this World Cup and overcame the plucky and persistent Ghanaians in the preceeding quarter-final match that had cast a bit of a shadow on Uruguay's participation. Now with just 20+ minutes remaining, they had to score two against Holland to muster a chance of going farther than their last World Cup semi-final appearance against Brazil in 1970 (they lost 3-1) and to advance to their third World Cup Final (they won both finals: 1930, 1950).
When Robben found his way to the Uruguayan box on 86' and was barely denied Holland's fourth goal, it was all over but the crying of sky blue tears...
...except that Uruguay caught the Dutch napping and scored on 90' +2'. After a collision between Uruguay's Sebastian Fernandez and Holland's Mark van Bommel, leaving Fernandez verbally sniping at his opponent and van Bommel with what looked to be some pain in his upper right rib cage, the Dutch midfielder walked toward the sideline to collect himself while the fourth official held up a sign signaling at least 3 additional minutes were to be played. However, van Bommel's teammates were not sufficiently collected to defend the ensuing free kick. Walter Gargano delivered a short pass to the right to the onrushing Maximiliano Pereira instead of banging the ball goalward. Pereira after one touch delivered a low, left-footed curler to the far post that got by the diving Dutch keeper.
Surely Uruguay didn't have enough time for an equalizer. But, they certainly had the measure of the remaining moments, which must have seemed to all of the Netherlands to drip off the clock like molasses. The Uruguayans created some very dangerous moments in Holland's box, with balls lofted in, and flick-on's creating anxiety. But the Dutch survived the nervy final moments and exhaled en masse as the referee blew the match done.
Curiously, Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez had removed Forlan with what turned out to be 10 minutes left to play - 10 minutes that saw a Uruguayan goal to make it 3-2 and nearly another that would have tied the contest and forced an extra 30 minutes. Did Tabarez give up? Wouldn't it have been interesting to see the sky blues' best player when they likely needed him most. I wonder what the press back in Montevideo will have to say about that.
♦♦♦♦♦
There would be no third time for Uruguay to reach the finals to attempt to win their third world championship. There would however be a third time for Holland, a proud footballing nation that had lost both their appearances in the finals, both to teams playing on their home soil (West Germany in 1974; Argentina in 1978).
You get the feeling that we haven't seen the best of the Dutch in this World Cup. Some I'm sure are waiting on the stereotypical self-destruction of the Dutch. But this team under the direction of coach Bert van Marwijk, who succeeded Marco van Basten after Holland's flame-out in Euro 2008, has the look of a team that is just finding their stride, not a team that has played their best football in the early stages leaving nowhere to go but home.
PHOTOS:
Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst is ecstatic after giving Holland the ealry lead (BBC Sport).
Uruguyan captain Diego Forlan equalizes with and equally magnificient goal to square the match before the half (BBC Sport).
Arjen Robben's header makes it 3-1 Holland (BBC Sport).
Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg wonders where it all went wrong when Maximiliano Pereira gave Uruguay life with a late goal (Sports Illustrated/Getty Images).
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