2010 World Cup: Netherlands v Slovakia full time report
Netherlands 2 Slovakia 1
The Netherlands are through to the quarter finals of the World Cup after a workman-like victory over Slovakia in Durban.
The returning Arjen Robben fired them in front with a terrific strike just 18 minutes in. Racing onto a Wesley Sneijder pass, the winger – making his first start of the tournament – cut inside onto his left foot and smashed an effort beyond goalkeeper Jan Mucha.
The Dutch couldn’t turn possession into more goals, until good work from Dirk Kuyt teed up Sneijder to seal victory late on.
Slovakia didn’t have many opportunities, although they did pull a goal back with Robert Vittek’s penalty, the last kick of the game.
This was a cool, composed win for the Dutch, who have never quite hit the heights in this tournament, but nonetheless will line up in the quarter finals against either Brazil or Chile.
The Slovaks started well, and good work from Vladimir Weiss set up Erik Jendrišek, who blazed over, before skipper Marek Hamšik drove an effort wide from distance.
Kuyt – playing on the left to accommodate Robben – then produced an excellent cross that Robin van Persie could only head wide, before good play from van Persie resulted in a chance for Sneijder, who shot straight at goalkeeper Mucha.
The Dutch hadn’t exactly started especially brightly, but Robben’s fine goal calmed any nerves.
Racing onto Sneijder’s sublime pass, the Bayern Munich man cut inside from the right flank hit a left footed effort into the bottom corner of Mucha’s net.
The strike didn’t exactly serve to liven up the Dutch, although van Persie did see a right footed attempt saved by Mucha shortly before half time, before he blazed a Mark van Bommel cross wide.
Robben was at it again at the start of the second half, and he saw a left footed effort tipped around the post by Mucha, before more fine work from the winger resulted in Joris Mathijsen’s close range shot somehow being saved by Mucha’s face.
Slovakia were barely registering an attacking threat, but with around a quarter of the game remaining, that all changed.
Juraj Kucka drove wide from long distance, before Miroslav Stoch cut inside from the left flank and saw a right footed effort tipped over by Maarten Stekelenburg, who then produced a superb stop to deny Vittek when the forward was clean through.
Back at the other end, Kuyt headed over Sneijder’s free kick, before the Liverpool man struck a 25-yard effort that was beaten away by Mucha – who will join Everton for next season.
Vittek blazed over when well-placed as Slovakia pressed, but a Dutch sucker punch was just around the corner.
Kuyt raced onto Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s quick free kick, and headed the ball past an onrushing Mucha before calmly squaring for Sneijder to sidefoot home into an unguarded net.
The goal looked as though it had floored Slovakia, but Vittek won a penalty when he was brought down by Stekelenburg in stoppage time.
He converted it, giving him a fourth goal of the competition, but the referee immediately blew the full time whistle, confirming the Netherlands’ deserved progression.
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