FIFA World Cup 2010: Netherlands vs. Slovakia, Can Slovakia pull off another big upset?
Frankly, the chances are really low for the Slovakians to pull off a win against the Dutch. Netherlands has been playing quality football after a shaky start in the FIFA 2010 World Cup. They are the second team in this World Cup which topped their group with an all-win record after Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
A lot is expected from this talented Dutch side as they have an amazing strike force in their squad. With Bayern Munich’s winger, Arjen Robben fit to play, the Dutch team stronger. Their talented forwards including Arsenal star, Robin Van Persie and AC Milan’s Huntelaar along with assist-making midfielders, such as Sneijder of Inter Milan and Van Der Vaart of Real Madrid, can be a real threat to the opposition’s defence.
Their run in the FIFA World Cup 2010 so far has been nothing less than impressive. There first match was against Denmark, who are known for their counter attacking football. Denmark took most of the possession in the start, but Robin Van Persie’s free-kick was sent home by a Danish defender, making the score line 1-0. Later, in the 85th minute, a shot was deflected from the Danish goalkeeper and was shot inside the net by the experienced Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt.
In their second match against the Japense they found it hard to find spaces in the Japanese defence line and were goal-less in the first half. During the second half, a shot from Wesley Sneijder made the score line 1-0 and the Dutch passed the much disciplined Japanese side. Their third match was against Cameroon, who was the first team to exit FIFA World Cup 2010. Even though the match did not mean anything to the Dutch side, because they had already confirmed their spot in the next round; they still managed to beat the Cameroonians. This match marked the return of Arjen Robben, who, yet again, managed to impress the football fans from all around the world. The game hyped up with Robin Van Persie’s goal in the first half got even better when Samuel Eto’o took the penalty kick inch perfect right after Van Der Vaart handled the ball in the area. The score was tied 1-1. Later on, the Milan star Huntelaar scored a late winner to make the final score line 2-1 for the Dutch and they easily qualified for the next stage of the FIFA World Cup 2010.
On the other side, in group F, the Slovakians made a thunderous impact on the World Cup favourite Italian side, by knocking them out. The Slovakian side first faced the New Zealanders which ended in a 1-1 draw. Their first half was goalless but then the Slovakians took first blood; Robert Vittek scored a goal in the 50th minute to make it 1-0 for the Slovakian side. The New Zealanders did not lose hope and kept fighting until the match went into stoppage time. In the 93rd minute, Winston Reid shot a header inside the goal to make it 1-1 for the New Zealanders and helped them take a point in the group.
The disappointed Slovakians did not give up then, and waited for their next match against the very impressive South American side Paraguay. The match started with the Paraguayans dominating the whole game throughout while the Slovakians were left to defend the most of it. Soon, the Paraguayans shook the Slovakian side by scoring the first goal in the first half. Later, Paraguay sealed the deal in the 86th minute, by making it 2-0 to their advantage and the Slovakians were beaten.
In the third match which was against the group’s favourite side, the Italians. The man of the moment was undoubtedly, Robert Vittek, who has been impressive in all the games played by the Slovakian side. He scored twice in this game, causing trouble to the mighty Italian defence.
He started with the first goal, in the 25th minute while the rest of the game continued with the same score line 1-0 for the Slovakians. In the 73rd minute, Vittek struck again and scored a goal to make it 2-0 to his side’s advantage. After the 80th minute, the Italians started to attack. In the 81st minute they made the score line 2-1, and pressurized the tired Slovakian defenders. They kept on attacking, 2 of their goals were disallowed although they would have been goals on any other day with another referee on the pitch. The referee’s blunder caused the Italians their spot in the next round while on the other hand, in the 89th minute; a wonderful run from Kopunek was sent home and sealed the deal for the Azzurris and made the score line 3-1. Later, when the match was into stoppage time, the Italians struck again and made the score line 3-2 but it was too little too late for the Italian side and the Slovakian smiles spread around the stadium as they pulled off a major upset and knocked the defending champions out.
Although, this match is pretty much one sided, African soil is fast becoming known for the amount of upsets that have occurred. The Slovakians do not stand too much of a chance against the Dutch but they may topple the Dutch with their amazing counter attacking skills and cause another big upset in this FIFA World Cup 2010.
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