- July, 06 2010 -
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After the first of the two semi-final matches, Holland are through to the 2010 World Cup final next Sunday and they fully deserved their victory. Uruguay did as well as they could and probably exceeded their fans’ expectations coming into the tournament – it was a great achievement for them to get as far as they did. They scored a good second goal in the dying minutes to make it 2-3 and Holland of course got a touch nervous as Uruguay could have got a lucky break to level the match; however, I think that was the right result.
Van Bronckhost’s opening goal for Holland was spectacular and will be one of the goals of the tournament. I am not sure if there has been a better strike, the keeper had absolutely no chance. Unlike Forlan’s goal for Uruguay which leveled the match at one all, where the Dutch goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg, should have done better and at least got a hand to the long range effort. While the Dutch looked ordinary enough at times, it was a two goal blitz from Sneijder and Robben - their two most exciting players - which clinched them their ticket to the final. They had that extra bit of class in front of goal when it mattered - although Van Persie is lucky he did not get a touch on Sneijder’s deflected shot as the goal would have been ruled out for off-side. Holland will be hoping it is third time lucky having played in the 1974 and 1978 finals without a win. They have huge support in South Africa because of the historical connection and close ties between the two countries. This helped their endeavours and will undoubtedly mean a fierce scramble for tickets for the big occasion on Sunday.
However, I think the winner of the World Cup Final will come from whoever wins the second semi-final tomorrow between Spain and Germany.
Germany have been excellent so far and both sides are disciplined, strategic, strong attacking teams with a lot of quality. Having said that, I believe Spain have too much quality and a better mentality – they have managed not to crumble under pressure like Argentina and Brazil did. They have the experience of winning big tournaments with victories like the 2008 European Championships under their belts - and their players have also won numerous trophies at club level. I don’t think the German team, who are a good attacking side, will be able to deal with the passing machine of the Spanish midfield and I think Europe’s best will shine in South Africa.
