The Dutch get the better of Finland
The Netherlands won their second consecutive game in Group E of the 2012 European championship qualifiers on Tuesday evening, handing Finland a 2–1 defeat after a satisfactory home display.
Aside from a few instances late in the first half, Bert van Marwijk's side managed to contain Finland to earn a narrow but clear victory.
Huntelaar nets brace early on
The Dutch took the lead in the seventh minute after a fine corner-kick combination caught Finland off-guard.
Wesley Sneijder received a short ball on the edge of the area, and the Inter Milan midfielder was given enough time to turn and pick out Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the penalty box. Anticipating the move, the forward made a quick shift to avoid his marker and head home the opening goal.
Mark Van Bommel broke clear on the right side of the penalty area in the 16th minute as Markus Heikkinen struck the midfielder in an attempt to squeeze past. Heikkinen was lucky to get away with only a booking, and Huntelaar stepped up to take the resulting penalty.
Schalke 04's recent signing made no mistake from the spot, hitting a low strike decisively into the left corner beyond Otto Fredrikson in Finland's goal. Huntelaar's five goals in two qualifiers should please his new employers.
"It is important for any striker, especially me, to score goals. It is good to be a striker for the Dutch team; the way the Oranje play suits me best," said Huntelaar, who has scored 21 goals in 38 appearances for the Dutch.
Finland pulled a goal back only two minutes after Huntelaar's penalty as Hannover 96 striker Mikael Forssell escaped Nigel de Jong's clumsy marking to head a corner-kick accross the goal and into the bottom-right of the net.
Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg had to deny Forssell twice before the break, while Gregory van der Wiel stepped in for the keeper to clear Mika Vayrynen's shot off the line.
Van Nistelrooy returns
The game became more subdued in the second half as the tactical prowess of van Marwijk's team saw it control proceedings pretty comfortably.
The loudest cheer came as one proven goalscorer replaced another when Ruud van Nistelrooy came on for Huntelaar with 10 minutes left. It was van Nistelrooy's first appearance for the Dutch team since the 2008 European championships.
The striker only managed to run offside once and earn the Netherlands a free kick before the half ended with the final score at 2–1.
The Netherlands have two wins in their first two qualifiers, sitting just behind leaders Sweden in the table due to a lesser goal difference. Finland are bottom in the group without any points.
The Dutch host Moldova on 8 October, while Finland receive Hungary in Helsinki four days later.
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