Dutch duo revel in late win

Foto : Getty Images

It could have all been so different. Members of the media had begun to wrap up their match reports with headlines such as ‘Mexico make it through’ and ‘Dos Santos ends Dutch dreams’. The thousands of votes cast by the fans through FIFA.com, as well as on twitter and the FIFA App had handed the Budweiser Man of the Match Award to Guillermo Ochoa, who looked to have inspired a famous win.

Yet there was a sting in the tail, as Louis van Gaal’s tactical switches eventually paid off. Having begun the game with a 3-4-1-2, the Oranje coach switched to a 4-3-3 and, as the game was ebbing away, a 4-2-4. He and his team had nothing to lose.

The match turned on the 88th minute, when the Netherlands equalised through Wesley Sneijder, leaving the Mexicans visibly shattered. In stoppage time, the comeback was completed when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar made no mistake from the penalty spot after Arjen Robben had been felled.

For one player in particular, Dirk Kuyt, the match had particular resonance. It was, after all, the occasion of his 100th appearance for his country. The Fenerbahce man was utilised as a left wing-back, a right wing-back and a right-sided forward during the 90 minutes, and afterwards he praised the patience and character shown by the Dutch players. 

“It’s amazing, a special day for me,” he told FIFA.com exclusively after the game. “To become the seventh player in the history of Dutch football to reach 100 caps, and to finish the game like that, is amazing. I’m a very proud person; I’m very proud of the team and the team spirit. We kept fighting until the end and we’re very happy with the result.

“In football, especially in tournament football and World Cup football, if you play in a stadium like this, sometimes it doesn’t matter how you play or what you do. It’s all about winning. That is what the team managed to do today. Mexico were tough opponents with a tough defence and some good strikers. It was difficult to create chances. So we had to be patient and keep fighting, and that’s what we did. We kept fighting, with three different kinds of systems, and we managed to do it.

“I think ultimately the difference between Mexico and ourselves today was down to individual quality. The team spirit of the two sides was amazing. But we have players like Robben and [Robin] van Persie in our team who can change the game at any second. Van Persie fought really hard in the game and was changed for Huntelaar, and he made the difference.”

The super-sub Huntelaar, who was stood next to Kuyt, beamed at this compliment from the senior member of the squad. “You dream of situations like this; it’s difficult to come back and then it happens,” he told FIFA.com. "Especially in a knockout match, it was really important for our team.

“We knew it was going to be difficult. They had an advantage with this type of weather, especially when it was 1-0 with two minutes to go. But you try to do your best and give everything. The corner came and I saw the ball coming but I couldn’t get it on goal, so I put it back into the box.

“I didn’t know if anybody was there, but Wesley was and he hit it perfectly. Then we started believing we could do it, and we got the penalty.”

What happened next was one of the day’s most memorable moments. As the Dutch celebrated and crossed their fingers, the Mexicans implored in vein for the officials to change their minds. Yet one man remained almost unaffected. Huntelaar bounced the ball like a basketball player, seemingly aloof to the chaos which was unfolding around him.

“I was trying to get my focus because everyone wanted to annoy me and get me to lose my focus,” he explained. “I was bouncing the ball to try to concentrate on what I had to do. I picked my corner and put the ball there. It went in. The feeling was incredible, a dream come true.”

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=6/news=dutch-duo-revel-in-late-win-2389453.html

Belanda Road to Final

Arjen Robben dan kawan-kawan (Foto : Reuters/Tony Gentile)

Oleh : Hendro Santoso

Belanda sudah tiga kali masuk final Piala Dunia yaitu pada tahun 1974, 1978 dan 2010. Pada tahun 1974 Belanda dikalahkan Jerman, tahun 1978 dikalahkan Argentina dan tahun 2010 dikalahkan Spanyol. Pada Piala Dunia 2014 sejauh ini Belanda telah membuahkan prestasi sempurna dengan mengoleksi 3 kemenangan di Grup B mengumpulkan 9 poin. Gol memasukkan 10 gol dan hanya kemasukan 3 gol. Cukup fantastis produktivitas gol Belanda ini terbaik diantara Tim-tim peserta Piala Dunia ini. Perancis mungkin yang tercatat Tim produktif berikutnya dengan memasukkan 8 gol dan kemasukkan 2 gol.  Permainan Belanda saat mengalahkan Spanyol sangat mengesankan kekuatan antar lini yang solid sehingga banyak pengamat menjadikan Belanda sebagai salah satu Tim favorit juara. Ada tiga Pemain yang menjadi motor dalam pertandingan saat itu yakni Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie dan Sneijder. Fase grup sudah dilewati Belanda dengan sempurna dan didepan sudah menunggu fase knock out babak 16 besar.

Meksiko adalah lawan Belanda di perdelapan final nanti. Meksiko bukan tim sembarangan karena di Grup A mengumpulkan nilai 7 poin sama dengan Brazil hanya kalah selisih gol sehingga Meksiko menempati runner up Grup A. Prestasi terbaik Meksiko di Piala Dunia 2014 ini yaitu bisa menahan Brazil tanpa gol. Jangan anggap remeh Meksiko. Tim ini memiliki kolektivitas permainan yang sangat baik. Catatan dalam fase Grup A, pertahanan Meksiko yang hanya kebobolan 1 gol menunjukkan kekuatan pertahanan yang solid.

Jika Belanda lolos dari hadangan Meksiko sudah menunggu pemenang antara Yunani dan Costarica. Kesebelasan yang disebut terakhir ini adalah fenomena luar biasa di Grup D. Costarica menjuarai grup D dengan mengalahkan Uruguay dan Italia serta bermain draw dengan England. Bayangkan tiga mantan juara dunia  dipecundangi Costarica. Jika Belanda nanti bertemu dengan Tim ini harus ekstra hati-hati dibandingkan jika Belanda bertemu dengan Yunani. Dengan kemampuan dan ramuan strategi pelatih berpengalaman seperti Van Gaal, Belanda di atas kertas lolos ke semi final.

Babak semi final nanti bagi Belanda merupakan pertemuan klasik dengan Argentina yang diprediksi akan lolos dengan mudah ke babak ini. Andai ini terjadi tentu saja Belanda harus bekerja sangat ekstra karena dalam Tim Argentina ada Lionel Messi. Kembali Van Gaal diuji lagi, strategi apa lagi yang akan diramu olehnya menjadi hal yang sangat menarik. Apakah strategi itu diterapkan seperti ketika mengalahkan Spanyol atau ada strategi lain?. Kita lihat nanti.

Saat Belanda bisa mengalahkan Argentina di semi final maka inilah saatnya Belanda masuk final yang ke empat kalinya dalam kontes Piala Dunia. Apakah Belanda harus gagal lagi di final?. Kita tunggu saja karena babak perdelapan final saja baru akan dimulai pekan depan. Salam.

Bandung 26 Juni 2014