Iceland 1-2 Holland

The Netherlands last night became the first European team to seal their status as one of the 32 sides travelling to South Africa, with a 2-1 victory away to Iceland. Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel’s first half goals were enough to see the Oranje through, with Kristjan Orn Sigurdsson’s reply turning out to be nothing more than a consolation.

        Bert van Marwijk madethree changes from the side that eased past Macedonia last month. Gregory van der Wiel being replaced by John Heitinga at the back, whilst a re-shaped front six featured Rafael van der Vaart and Robin van Persie, with Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar making way as a result. The team he sent out lined up as:

Stekelenburg

                  Heitinga                 Ooijer                Mathijsen     van Bronckhorst             

 van Bommel            de Jong

van Persie                       van der Vaart                       Robben

        Kuyt

        A largely one-sided match, with a mirrored result, looked in the offing as Nigel de Jong lept high, if unopposed, to meet van der Vaart’scross with a powerful header. The next chance to come their way almost resulted in a second, as some determined play by Heitinga down the right allowed van Persie to tee Arjen Robben up for the volley, but the winger drilled his attempt into the side netting. A second did come, however, just seven minutes after the deadlock was broken. Taking fans back to the “total football” of the ’70’s, Mark van Bommel finished off a good move with a low shot from 20 yards which buried itself in the bottom corner.

        Rafael van der Vaart was next to test Gunnleifur Gunnleifsson in the Iceland goal. Some fantastic wing play by Robben, ending with a square ball which was dummied by Dirk Kuyt on the edge of the area, was met with a decent effort by a van der Vaarton the slide. The shot was parried over the bar. Holland though they had the game won when van Persie’s effort had the ‘keeper standing and watching, but the ball struck the post.

        Robben then found himself one on one with Gunnleifsson following arguably the best move of the match. The Oranje were popping the ball about in style with the most mesmerising one touch football, when the Real Madrid winger couldn’t get enough air to lift the ball over the goalkeeper. The save meant the away side would go into the break with just two goals to show for their near dominance.

        After such an entertaining first 45 minutes, the prospects for the second half were tanterlising. The football, however, failed to live up to the tempo of the first half, and the Dutch players could evidently sense how close they were to the finish line and qualification for South Africa 2010. Robben found himself in a similar position to his last chance early on, but the angle was tighter than the last time, and the result the same.

        Sensing an element of lethargy had snuck into the bodies of Holland’s players, Bert van Marwijk decided to bring on Huntelaar for Kuyt to try and put the game to bed. The game looked like fizzling out into a tedious affair, with the Dutch coach resting key players de Jong and van der Vaart. That was until Kristjan Sigurdsson pulled one back in the 87th minute, giving the Icelanders hope. Huntelaar almost restored the Oranje’s two goal cushion late on with a free-kick which he rifled against the cross-bar, but the match ended 2-1 to the visitors. The Netherlands have now taken eighteen points from six games, and will grace South Africa’s stadiums next summer.

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