Expectations
can weigh heavy on a team, particularly a team possessing such glaring
defensive weakness as the Netherlands.
What may not have been obvious before the tournament was made blatantly
obvious in their first match against Denmark, thoroughly exploited in their second
against Germany, and finally abused by Portugal during their final Group B
fixture. There were few bright spots for
the Dutch team and Euro 2012 is a tournament that they will want to quickly
forget.
For a few
minutes, it looked like the Netherlands would be able to rescue themselves from
elimination. Arjen Robben made his
trademark cut inside and rather than attempting a shot with his left, he played
the ball along to Rafael Van der Vaart.
Van der Vaart’s curling effort sailed into the goal around the diving
Rui Patricio and suddenly the Dutch had hopes of making history.
Those hopes
were soon crushed thanks to the tireless work of Portuguese captain Cristiano
Ronaldo. Ronaldo has come under fire
during this tournament for his wasteful finishing and usual petulant
behavior. During this match he served as
a prime example of what a captain should be.
Just a couple minutes following Van der Vaart’s opener, Ronaldo soared
above the Dutch defense and met Nani’s cross with a powerful header. The shot
was parried by Stekelenberg, but he could not do the same for Ronaldo’s next
effort a few minutes later.
Ronaldo
accepted a pristine through ball from Joao Periera and easily finished. It was his first goal of the tournament,
finally shaking the monkey off his back.
Throughout the match he dominated Dutch right back Gregory Van der Weil
and made quick work of replacement center back Ron Vlaar. Ronaldo’s assault on the Dutch front was
joined by his counterpart Nani and assisted by attacking runs from full backs
Joao Periera and Fabio Coentrao.
Together their quick, decisive attacks torched the Netherlands and
showed a real example of what Portugal is capable of.
Dutch
attackers Robin Van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were anonymous for long
stretches of the match; both are capable of much better performances. The frustrated Bert Van Marwijk, had little
influence over his squad during what may be his final match as the Netherlands
manager. Making only a single
substitution, his team failed to adjust and contain the Portuguese midfield that
had continually overrun Nigel De Jong without the presence of captain Mark Van
Bommel.
The Dutch
disappointment reached rock bottom when Cristiano Ronaldo put the game beyond
doubt. Shortly after a spectacular miss
from Nani, the Manchester United winger made penance by playing a long pass to
the feet of Ronaldo. The Portuguese
captain stopped on a dime and allowed the Dutch defender to fly past, before
slamming the finish behind Stekelenberg.
With the
game out of hand, Rafael Van der Vaart had an effort strike the woodwork, but
the disappointing Dutch were incapable of avoiding defeat. Ultimately, there was little the Netherlands
could do to avoid defeat. There had been moments of competence during their
third lackluster performance of the tournament, but they had not been enough to
earn the Dutch a single point at the tournament. Perhaps the lack of squad harmony can be
blamed, maybe it is the lack of a traditional Dutch formation, or the fact that
none of the starting XI share the same club team. Whatever the reason, major changes are likely before the next major tournament.
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