FIFA Updates

Posts Tagged ‘Holland’

View full post on FIFA Update – Guardian

There will be a new nation engraved on the World Cup trophy come Sunday evening as European heavyweights Holland and Spain clash in the final at Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium.

The Dutch will be hoping it’s a case of ‘third time lucky’ following final heartbreak in the 1974 and ’78 finals, while this is Spain’s first date with destiny.

European champions Spain have claimed knockout victories over Portugal, Paraguay and Germany to reach the final, and have not conceded a goal in the process.

One more triumph in South Africa’s capital city will see Vicente del Bosque’s men end 80 years of waiting and reassert Spanish footballing dominance following their Euro 2008 triumph in Austria-Switzerland.

Potent

Spain’s defence has been breached only twice, Switzerland’s Gelson Fernandes beating Iker Casillas in their tournament opener and Chile netting in the final group game. The 1-0 defeat by Switzerland now looks a mere aberration and Spain will become the only World Cup winners to have lost their opening game if they overcome the Dutch.

David Villa’s potency in front of goal has also been integral to the run, his five goals so far have put him on the brink of a first ever Golden Boot award.

Del Bosque is not expected to make many changes to his starting line-up from the side which overcame Germany 1-0 in the semi-finals.

That means back-up defender Carlos Marchena is unlikely to start despite coming on in the last three matches and holding the record of 55 consecutive international appearances without losing.

Out-of-form Liverpool striker Fernando Torres also looks certain to have to settle for a place on the bench, with Barcelona attacker Pedro partnering Villa up top.

Holland also have a number of potential players of the tournament at their disposal, not least attacking midfielder and playmaker Wesley Sneijder.

The 26-year-old shares the tournament scoring lead alongside Villa and will once again be instrumental to his nation’s hopes of glory.

Sneijder could also become the first European player to win the World Cup in the same season as the UEFA Champions League and a domestic league and cup double. He clinched the European title, Serie A and Italian Cup with Inter Milan.

Impressive

Holland coach Bert van Marwijk has steered his side to six successive wins in the competition, scoring 12 goals and playing some of the most attractive football to-boot.

Their quarter-final comeback triumph over Brazil was arguably their most impressive display as they battled back from 1-0 down to snatch a 2-1 win in Port Elizabeth.

The Oranje are expected to make two changes from the starting XI which overcame Uruguay 3-2 in the semi-finals.

Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong and defender Gregory van der Wiel should return after suspension with Khalid Boulahrouz and Demy de Zeeuw dropping out.

Whatever happens, one nation will be the eighth to win the World Cup in the tournament’s 80-year history and the first new name on the cup since France 12 years ago.

View full post on FIFA Updates – MSN

Holland midfielder Demy de Zeeuw could be ruled out of the World Cup final after sustaining a suspected broken jaw in the semi-final victory over Uruguay.

The Ajax player started the 3-2 win over Oscar Tabarez’s South Americans due to the suspension of Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong.

But De Zeeuw was substituted at half-time after taking a horrible, but accidental, boot to the face from Uruguay defender Martin Caceres in the first 45 minutes.

The 27-year-old underwent medical attention on the pitch amid concerns he had been knocked unconscious by Caceres’ challenge, which left the Holland players less than impressed and a minor scuffle broke out.

Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk, who has guided the Dutch to a first World Cup final since 1978, has since told reporters that De Zeeuw is undergoing X-rays in hospital.

If results confirm a broken bone then De Zeeuw will be ruled out of Sunday’s final against Spain or Germany, who meet in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

View full post on FIFA Updates – MSN

View full post on FIFA Updates – MSN

It would be fair to say that Tuesday night’s World Cup semi-final at Green Point Stadium follows the unpredictable nature of the summer as Uruguay and Holland prepare to meet in Cape Town.

For Oscar Tabarez’s Uruguay it places a return to the globe-conquering days of 1930 and 1950 within unexpected reach, while it can also be argued that Bert van Marwijk’s Holland have surpassed expectations.

Uruguay, surprisingly South America’s last remaining representation in the 2010 World Cup, may have won the maiden finals 80 years ago, before repeating the feat two decades later, but they are now in territory not chartered since finishing fourth in 1970.

Holland, famously finalists in 1974 and 1978, were the dark horse choice of many prior to the start of the tournament in South Africa, but it was also suspected that they would characteristically implode in a flash of in-house bickering that has undermined recent campaigns.

The fact that both sides have made it to the last four, along with Spain and Germany, therefore marks a significant achievement and sets an intriguing scene as fans get ready to gather close to Signal Hill.

Romance

There is perhaps a little more romance associated with underdog Uruguay’s presence in the semi-finals, but Tabarez, who guided the nation to a round-of-16 place at Italia 90 in a previous stint in charge, is refusing to get carried away.

He has pointed to a level of expectation surrounding two-time champions which has not been satisfied over the past 40 years and he does not want the pressure to impact upon his players against a Holland team who have not lost in 24 matches.

Uruguay have earned many plaudits for the style of their football in topping Group A before defeating South Korea in the second round prior to the dramatic and controversial quarter-final elimination of Ghana, but they are still outsiders.

Tabarez’s task has increased in difficulty due to the fact that influential striker Luis Suarez, having found his feet after a slow start to the competition, is suspended following his red card for the much-debated goalline handball that denied Ghana.

Defender Jorge Ciro Fucile is also ineligible, while captain Diego Lugano is an injury doubt and midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro has been ruled out of the finals due to a broken foot to place even more pressure on the shoulders of key man Diego Forlan.

Strain

Meanwhile, it is difficult to measure the strain on Van Marwijk. Is he now expected to deliver the World Cup or is he still earning praise for simply avoiding rows and bust-ups to get the Dutch to a first semi-final since 1998?

Van Marwijk’s side have been criticised for lacking the characteristic Oranje, Total Football style of Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, but it cannot be argued that they are not getting the job done.

After a 100 per cent record this summer, topping Group E and beating Slovakia before stunning favourites Brazil, Holland have still not lost since a friendly against Australia in September 2008 and they are expected to stretch that statistic.

The Dutch were boosted when main striker Robin van Persie was declared fit to play against Uruguay after a scan revealed his left elbow injury was not as bad as first feared.

With defender Joris Mathijsen also available again after a knee problem, Holland no longer have any injury worries, but midfielder Nigel de Jong and defender Gregory van der Wiel are out of the game due to suspension.

View full post on FIFA Updates – MSN