FIFA World Cup 2010 Review - Netherlands 1-0 Japan: Netherlands and Japan Both Fail to Impress but a Wesley Sneijder goal after the break helped them to victory
It’s a mystery how the Netherlands haven’t been able to win a single world cup up till now. They were the creators of ‘Total Football’, and had alot of success in the late 1970’s but were just never able to cross the finish line. This time around, in the FIFA World Cup 2010, under the guidance and leadership of Bert van Marwijk, the team is now attempting to get to a point of victory.
These hopeful Dutch players were rated as the fourth best side by FIFA and in their opening game proved that they would bring with them a level of really tough competition. There is definitely more to be expected from this side, and as has been proved by today’s sadly dull but inspirationally victorious game, they can achieve a lot during this World Cup (even if not with the style of Argentina).
Arjen Robben has been one of the most highly rated stars in the world game over the course of the last six months, carrying Bayern Munich to the Champions League final and a domestic double, yet he was surprisingly not even involved in the opening match. It is surprising that the team did not make use of the great asset that this player could prove to be. The Dutch challenge has been undermined before, but this team appears to be very well prepared this time around and could probably surprise the world with their feats.
Then there’s Japan, the team that had huge expectations as well this World Cup, and will be very disappointed with their game today. They came into the tournament off a series of poor results, the Blue Samurai were expected to be sent back to the Far East with their tails between their legs but they were given a chance.
Under the leadership of Takeshi Okada, the team has showed that they are more than a couple of monks with a few kung fu tricks up their sleeves after their encounter against Cameroon. Defensively solid, the Japanese looked a threat on the break and grabbed what proved to be the game’s only goal through midfielder Keisuke Honda, who now plays with CSKA Moscow but previously turned out in the Eredivisie for VVV-Venlo. Victory had previously galvanised the committed Asians, who were looking forward to playing against the Netherlands. But today their dreams must have gone down the drain as they lost todays very dry game.
The match started with Oranje having a slight edge, as they got their first chance after just 8 minutes of game play. The referee awarded the Dutch a free kick in a dangerous position after a foul on Robin van Persie. Wesley Sneijder stepped up to take it, but his shot just sailed way over the bar. The Asians took their first chance after 15 minutes of game play. Defender Yuji Nakazawa created some space down the left and tried his luck from 25 yards, only to see his shot bounce away. A couple of more free kicks were awarded to each side but they all went to dust as neither team was able to change to dull score stand still. The Japanese goalie got called into action for the first time only seconds before the half-time whistle. Rafael van der Vaart opted to test the Asian goalie with a long range strike, but his shot was too weak to trouble Seigo Narazaki.
The second halves started with Netherlands ready to attack and gain a score, their conviction was strong. The Dutch finally opened the score after 53 minutes of play. The Japanese defence failed to clear the ball and Sneijder fired right at the goal from an edge and scored quite easily, the goalie could have done much better at stopping that one.
Japan were clearly not giving up after the opener and Yoshito Okubo almost drew things level again. However, his low shot went only inches wide of the Dutch target. The Dutch defence was having all sorts of trouble as the Japanese kept trying their luck. Holland missed a golden opportunity to put the match to bed five minutes before the final whistle. And Japan then nearly equalized in the dying seconds of the game, as Okazaki pounced on a loose ball inside the Dutch penalty area. He sent his shot just over the bar from a very dangerous position though. In the end it was the Dutch who gained three more points, and have come still closer to their final goal, to win the World Cup in South Africa.
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