Euro 2008 - Day 11: Netherlands' B Squad Blanks Lacklustre Romanians
June 18th 2008 17:39
For a team that absolutely needed a win to advance, Romania looked surprised that the Netherlands had actually come to play and weren't about to roll over for the Eastern Europeans. Marco Van Basten brought nine changes to his starting eleven while Piturca made four changes.
Romania started the game the same way they played against France and Italy – cautiously. The ball was almost always in the Dutch's feet who had 66% of the possession at half time, and the Romanians' rare offensive rushes were often stopped dead in their tracks by a solid Dutch defense. The second half was much of the same as Romania tested Stekelenburg with long-range shots while the Netherlands often penetrated their opponent's box. At the 49th minute, Robin Van Persie's close-range shot was stopped by Lobont but the Dutch came back again five minutes later to finally score the opening goal via Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The young striker didn't miss Afellay's low cross which filtered through several players before connecting with Huntelaar's foot.
To keep the pressure on Romania, Van Basten made a couple of changes at the hour mark, replacing Boulahrouz by Melchiot and Robben by Dirk Kuyt. By the 82nd minute, Romania had used all their substitutes and didn't look any closer to score a goal. Every time they got the ball, they quickly lost it somewhere in midfield, leaving the control of the game to the Dutch who could slow things down or accelerate at their convenience. The final blow came at the 87th minute when Van Persie struck a superb shot to the near post after getting rid of his marker. It was the Arsenal striker/midfielder's second goal of the competition and destroyed any hope left on the Romanian bench.
Romania have only themselves to blame for this defeat. There were no sparks or passion from the team that promised to surprise people in this competition. They had their destiny in their own hands and threw it away in a very disappointing manner. The Netherlands, on the other hand, are bulldozing their way through with a perfect record of three wins in three games. They go on to face either Sweden or Russia in the next round.
My man of the match: Robin Van Persie. The young player was dangerous all game long and looks to be in great shape after a season plagued with injuries.
Honorable mentions:
- Orlando Engelaar. He took control of the midfield in Sneijder's absence and performed admirably well.
- Ibrahim Afellay. The young midfielder is a joy to watch. Talented, fast, and smart, he shows a lot of promise for the future.
Romania started the game the same way they played against France and Italy – cautiously. The ball was almost always in the Dutch's feet who had 66% of the possession at half time, and the Romanians' rare offensive rushes were often stopped dead in their tracks by a solid Dutch defense. The second half was much of the same as Romania tested Stekelenburg with long-range shots while the Netherlands often penetrated their opponent's box. At the 49th minute, Robin Van Persie's close-range shot was stopped by Lobont but the Dutch came back again five minutes later to finally score the opening goal via Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The young striker didn't miss Afellay's low cross which filtered through several players before connecting with Huntelaar's foot.
To keep the pressure on Romania, Van Basten made a couple of changes at the hour mark, replacing Boulahrouz by Melchiot and Robben by Dirk Kuyt. By the 82nd minute, Romania had used all their substitutes and didn't look any closer to score a goal. Every time they got the ball, they quickly lost it somewhere in midfield, leaving the control of the game to the Dutch who could slow things down or accelerate at their convenience. The final blow came at the 87th minute when Van Persie struck a superb shot to the near post after getting rid of his marker. It was the Arsenal striker/midfielder's second goal of the competition and destroyed any hope left on the Romanian bench.
Romania have only themselves to blame for this defeat. There were no sparks or passion from the team that promised to surprise people in this competition. They had their destiny in their own hands and threw it away in a very disappointing manner. The Netherlands, on the other hand, are bulldozing their way through with a perfect record of three wins in three games. They go on to face either Sweden or Russia in the next round.
My man of the match: Robin Van Persie. The young player was dangerous all game long and looks to be in great shape after a season plagued with injuries.
Honorable mentions:
- Orlando Engelaar. He took control of the midfield in Sneijder's absence and performed admirably well.
- Ibrahim Afellay. The young midfielder is a joy to watch. Talented, fast, and smart, he shows a lot of promise for the future.
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