DUTCH OVERCOME EXTREME ELEMENTS TO STUN MEXICO!
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| Flying Dutchmen |
By overcoming an excellent Mexican team and extreme
elements, the Dutch justified their case for the tag of tournament favourites.
After all, this was a game that pitted the best attack
against the most miserly defense at these finals.
If football fans around the world had any doubts as to the
quality of this Dutch team, then this win over a well organized and resolute
Mexican outfit was the confirmation required to affirm not only their
quality but their character too.
The Dutch came into this game clearly disadvantaged by the
weather and climatic conditions of Brazil's north eastern city of
Fortaleza. The furnace like conditions exacerbated by the humidity favoured the
Mexicans and it showed early in game.
To compound their situation, the Dutch lost dependable
anchorman Wesley De Jong to an early injury. He was replaced by Bruno Martins
Indi to throw Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal’s game plan in disarray.
The Mexicans were attempting to overcome a 28 year hoodoo, with
the 1986 edition being the last time they made it to the quarter final stage of
the World cup hence their determined show in the first half.
The Latin Americans exhibited the will to break this trend by pinning the Dutch for most of the first half, pressing and denying them space within which their forwards, especially Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie thrive.
The Latin Americans exhibited the will to break this trend by pinning the Dutch for most of the first half, pressing and denying them space within which their forwards, especially Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie thrive.
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| Searing conditions took their toll on all |
The cooling break at the midway point of the first half was quite a
welcome respite as the heat and humidity had already started wearing down
the Europeans.
Sensing the Dutch vulnerability, the El Tri came into the
second half with all guns blazing and their efforts were rewarded when build up
play found Giovanni Dos Santos just outside the Dutch 18 yards, whose left footed
volley rifled past the Dutch goalie into the bottom left corner in the 47th
minute.
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| Dos Santos made no mistake with this strike |
What a game! The extreme weather and Mexico's dominance
belied the late drama that would occur.
After scoring their goal however, the Mexicans stopped playing and sat on their laurels thereby inviting their opponents to come at them, an invitation the Dutch readily took with open arms!
After scoring their goal however, the Mexicans stopped playing and sat on their laurels thereby inviting their opponents to come at them, an invitation the Dutch readily took with open arms!
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| Ochoa continued his heroics keeping off a point blank DiVrij header |
By the time second cooling break was taking place in the 75th
minute, the Dutch were in ascendancy and the Mexicans were clearly living
dangerously with goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s quick reflexes saving their blushes
severally. The point blank save from Stefan DiVrij’s headed ball from a corner in
particular cemented his case for the Goalkeeper
of the tournament award.
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| Van Gaal cleverly utilized the cooling breaks to adjust tactics |
With Ochoa making his case, Dutch coach Van Gaal left no
doubt that he is a tactical genius and contender for Coach of the tournament award. Having started the game with the
5-3-2 system he’d been utilizing, he utilized the cooling breaks on either half to cleverly change tactics switching to a 4-3-3 then finally resorted to a
4-4-2 when he made a critical substitution bringing in a second striker Klaas-Jan
Hunterlaar to compliment Dirk Kuyt for the weather beaten Robin Van Persie.
Van Gaal has exhibited courage, and never backs down from making brave changes nor trying out ingenious adjustments to cope with changing circumstances. This is testament to his indomitable character which clearly came out in the way his players battled in the second half.
Van Gaal has exhibited courage, and never backs down from making brave changes nor trying out ingenious adjustments to cope with changing circumstances. This is testament to his indomitable character which clearly came out in the way his players battled in the second half.
That striker to striker change in particular proved pivotal and was the
turning point of the game.
Another key change was that of Memphis Depay who along with
Wesley Sneijder took total command of the midfield.
With Arjen Robben running riot with his dizzying runs on the
right wing, the Dutch laid siege in the Mexican half and it was only a matter
of time before the Mexicans cracked.
Ochoa turned villain when he misjudged the trajectory and
flight of the ball and mistakenly came out for a corner kick, then tried to
recover his position on realizing his mistake. The headed clearance landed squarely on the path of
Sneidjer who unleashed an artillery round that whistled past a forest of legs
and a stranded Ochoa smashing into the net for Holland’s 87th minute
equalizer. To illustrate the sheer power of this volley, if the ball and the Mexican net
could both speak, they would have earnestly asked “what the hell did we ever do to
deserve this brutality!?”
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| Sneijder cannons a thunderbolt to gain parity |
The Dutch were not done yet as they were not settling for
another blistering half hour of extra-time in the cauldron like conditions!
They upped the ante and were deservedly rewarded when Robben again made one of
his signature runs going deep into the Mexican box. On getting to the by-line, he cut back and attempted to make a bee line through an obstacle course of Mexican legs
inviting a lunge from central defender Juan Marquez.
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| Robben made Marquez rue making contact |
Though minimal, the contact from Marquez was enough to both send
Robben tumbling on the turf and convince Portuguese referee Proenca to award a
penalty deep in injury time.
Hunterlaar, who was making his first appearance at this
tournament made no mistake from the spot kick, burying it on the right while
sending Ochoa diving in the opposite direction to complete a famous comeback
and break Mexican hearts.
When the final whistle went, the Mexicans clearly
stunned didn’t seem to know what hit them!
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| Mexicans inconsolable from the lose |
Game, set, and match! The Dutch are in the quarter finals!
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