Uruguay Suffer 2-3 Defeat at the Hands of Holland

Netherlands 3 – Uruguay 2
Match report

Thanks to Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben the Netherlands scored two goals within three minutes in the second half to secure their place in the World Cup final for the first time in 32 years.

Much of the time the dutch looked like they didn’t have many ideas, however, when it came to the shots that mattered they delivered setting up their place in the final against either Spain or Germany in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst scored a stunning opening goal from rang and Uruguay were lucky to score an equaliser when the Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg missed Diego Forlan’s shot. But Sneijder and Robben made the difference for the team, even though they had to fight until the last second after Maxi Pereira’s injury time goal.

The end of the match was by far the most dramatic few minutes; most of the match was very calm with Uruguay, minus Luis Suarez thanks to his suspension for the handball in the match against Ghana, not really attacking until they were two goals behind.

The Dutch appeared to be struggling to find themselves at the beginning of the match, their only chance of a goal was wasted when Dirk Kuyt fired over the bar after Uruguay’s keeper Fernando Muslera had knicked Sneijder’s cross straight to him.

The South Americans were defending well, with many players around their goal; however, this failed to help them when Van Bronkhorst scored in the eighteenth minute. The ball was fed to the left and Feyenoord found the time to look up and smack the ball thirty yards into the top corner of the goal.

However, this lead over Uruguay did not help the Netherlands work out how to break down their opponent’s defence, they also appeared to be holding players back instead of pushing them forwards to try and extend their lead.

Uruguay were not doing much better either, the Dutch keeper Stekelenburg didn’t have a single shot to save until Alvaro Pereira’s bouncing shot in the thirty seventh minute. However, Forlan managed to score his team an equaliser before half time, his fourth goal in six games.

Stekelenburg had a perfect view of Forlan’s strike from 25 yards and managed to get a hand on the ball, however, he failed to keep it out of the net. There was another close call at the beginning of the second half, he beat Edinson Cavani to a through ball but didn’t manage to clear it, Van Bronkorst stepped in to head Alvaro Pereira’s shot off the line.

The game soon became stuck in midfield and there were not many chances on either side until Forlan forced a good save from Stekelenburg with a free kick. The Netherlands had not been playing particularly well but once again showed how they are still capable of winning games in the tournament by scoring two goals within three minutes to secure their victory.

The Dutch were back in the lead after 70 minutes, Sneijder’s shot hit Maxi Pereira and then went in off the post whilst Van Persi was trying but didn’t manage to get a touch on the ball to ensure it hit target.

In the next Dutch attack, Robben managed to escape the notice of Diego Godin, met Dirk Kuyt’s cross and headed the ball firmly into the bottom corner of the goal making it 3 – 1. By this point Uruguay were looking tired and Robben had the chance to score another when he arrived upon a Van Persie flick but got his subsequent shot all wrong.

The game had a frantic finale, in the 92nd minute Maxi Pereira ran on to a free kick and curled an extremely accurate shot into the bottom corner of the net. This was followed by Uruguay urgently trying to find an equaliser with a few balls in the Dutch box, but the Netherlands held on taking them in to the final for the first time since 1978.