Holland vs. Italy
RVP gone, Robbin gone... Where will the Dutch find the goals to get by Italy's notoriously stingy defense? The second match from the group of death today.
posted by gooner71 @ 7:28 AM
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Monday, June 09, 2008
RVP gone, Robbin gone... Where will the Dutch find the goals to get by Italy's notoriously stingy defense? The second match from the group of death today.
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
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- Romania vs. France
- U.S.A vs. Argentina
- Germany vs. Poland
- Austria vs. Croatia
- Portugal vs. Turkey
- Switzerland vs. Czech Republic
- Euro 2008 Group D
- Euro 2008 Group C
- Euro 2008 Group B
- Euro 2008 Group A Preview
122 Comments:
Well, that early match was dry as a bone and has left me parched and thirsty for action and especially goals. Let's hope the Dutch and Italians come to play this evening.
Here are the sides for tonight:
Holland:
1. Edwin Van der Sar
2. Andre Ooijer
21. Khalid Boulahrouz
4. Joris Mathijsen
5. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst
18. Dirk Kuyt
17. Nigel De Jong
23. Rafael Van der Vaart
8. Orlando Engelaar
10. Wesley Sneijder
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Italy:
1. Gianluigi Buffon
2. Christian Panucci
6. Andrea Barzagli
23. Marco Materazzi
19. Gianluca Zambrotta
13. Massimo Ambrosini
21. Andrea Pirlo
8. Gennaro Gattuso
16. Mauro German Camoranesi
9. Luca Toni
11. Antonio Di Natale
Looks like both sides will start with a lone striker - Ruud for the Dutch and Luca Toni for Italy. What ever happened to 4-4-2? (sigh)
Of course part of the drama tonight is that the two managers - Donadoni and Van Basten - were teammates in that vaunted AC Milan side of the early 90s.
A bit of drama also in both defenses. There are some question marks about the Dutch defense and Van Basten has decided to go with ex-Chelski boy Bouhlarouz instead of Heitinger.
Meanwhile, Barzagli is deputizing for the injured Cannavaro at the heart of the Italian defense alongside the evil Marco Materazzi.
Shame that Arjen Robben and Robben van Persie are also injured, as they're the sort of players that could inspire a moment of brilliance that opens up the match.
Ah, Di Natale did well to turn his marker on the left but he overplayed the ball in to Toni. Shame.
Italy came in with the oldest squad in the tournament. Only Barzagli is under thirty!
Gattuso played a good ball in but again Di Natali wasn't on the same wavelength as Toni.
Gattuso goes in hard and is lucky not to pick up an early yellow. It's coming, no doubt about that.
Gattuso gives away another free kick, this time closer to the goal. Can Snejder test Buffon in the Italian goal.
The free kick goes straight into the back of another Dutch player, sadly. Van der Vaart takes a pop from distance but it doesn't trouble Buffon.
Gattuso plays a neat ball into Toni but the big Italian striker nods wide. He should have at least put it on goal.
Van Bronkhorst has gone in strong twice now and the referee is still just at the nagging stage with him. He's been lenient so far.
Van Nistelrooy tries an interesting one on the turn but it doesn't have the weight.
Nearly there then. Van Nistelrooy was played in by Kuyt, he rounded Buffon, lost his balance but stayed on his feet admirably and the chance went begging. If he'd gone down, the referee would have had to have a good, long look at it.
The Dutch have come to life in the past five minutes. Sneijder there having a go from the edge of the box was it was always going over.
The whistling has already started among these crowds. If the crowds were paying per goal, they'd be pretty damned expensive commodities.
They're playing in small stadia here and I can see empty seats. I wonder what the attendances have been. I heard that only 7,000 German fans showed up when 25,000 had been expected for the Poland match.
Hey Bob, I am home. How has it been for the first 25 minutes
Andy Gray is manfully trying to egg this game on but it's been hopeless. These players seem to have forgotten that they're here to entertain an audience.
RVN scores!! Was that not offside. Andy G. thought it was and it was!!!!
GOAL! Fantastic! Ruud van Nistelrooy is my hero and he turns in Holland's first goal of the tournament. He's about a mile offside but I don't care. I just wanted to see the net bulge a little.
1-0 Holland and that will have to open up the match. Game on!
Your hero?
You hated him while he was at OT
That was exactly what the game needed. If Luca Toni had scored that jammy goal, the Italians would have bolted the door and that would have been that for this spectacle. But now Toni has to show what he's made of. This puts the cat amongst the proverbial pigeons in the group of death because the Italians need a result now because of the earlier draw.
Welcome, Dave! You just got in in time to see your boy RVN score. I never hated him at OT - far from it. I always thought he was a quality striker. He's my hero right now because he's opened the match up nicely. Miles offside, though, be fair.
Should I not mention the early match?
What a great goal that was!!!!
GOAL! Sneijder with an excellent goal and that really has put the Italians on the back foot. Van Bronkhorst crossed long for Kuyt, the Liverpool boy set him up well and Sneijder somehow conjured a near post strike.
I heard about the first match.
As for Ruud, didn't you and your brother call him a horse?
VDS with a good save. This one is good since I have been here
Di Natale goes close with a lovely volley that goes through Bouhlarouz's legs and VDS saves well.
That horse references were all in good fun. He is pretty horsey.
Andy Gray's spot on by pointing out how Donadoni's pro-Milan favoritism might have caught Italy out here. They didn't even qualify for the Champions League this season.
That's okay then
What a corker of a second...
The first made me laugh but that second was a peach.
That was an odd clearance from VDS - was he passing it to the hot dog seller?
How many Milan players are in the starting line up?
Wotcher, Simon. Good to have you on board. This is the match that this tournament really needed, eh?
Yikes by Kuyt.
Hey Simon, welcome
It's not that they're all from Milan but the core of the midfield - Gattuso, Pirlo and Ambrosini - are all Milan teammates. Given that they had a poor season, Andy's right that it's an odd decision.
WOW, Ruud should have put that away.
Andy might be right. That could have been the turning point
Oh, Ruud nearly wrapped this one up with his second. Great move - the ball into Ruud and he smashed it against Buffon's legs. Good save.
The other good thing about this scoreline is that it'll force Donadoni to roll the dice late on. I hope to see that madman Cassano on for a bit. He's always entertaining.
Holland are playing well but playing at their peak - Italy with a bit of luck could be ahead too..
Great game so far, I didnt see all of the previous match (thank God) as I am watching both of these at work.
I expect Italy to get one back soon..
I've just noticed that the seats that I thought were empty at the beginning of the match are actually Dutch fans all in brilliant orange. D'oh!
I reckon that you're right, Simon. The Italians have the quality to come back. The maddening thing about them is that they always have to be forced to come out of their shells and actually play.
Wow, I am going get you a spot on Mastermind!! Robert Dalgren, specialized subject, the bleedin obvious!!!
What I have seen, the Italians have really passed the ball well and haven't been that much of a threat
Half-time: 2-0 Holland.
Certainly the pick of the matches so far and the biggest surprise to date. Almost all of the pundits that I was listening to had the Dutch going out first round. If this scoreline holds up, it really puts pressure on Italy and France since one would almost certainly go out.
Thank you very much, Magnus.
I've started so I'll finish.
Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?
What year was the War of 1812?
I thought Holland would go out too but this will put the cat amongst the pidgeons. Are Romania the new Italy? They were shockingly dull and know that Mutu on the break could do it for them.
I thought Holland would go out too but this will put the cat amongst the pidgeons. Are Romania the new Italy? They were shockingly dull and know that Mutu on the break could do it for them.
Absolutely true. Mutu could have easily nicked a goal against France today and I expect him to do the business in one of these matches. It really looks more and more like four points will put a side through in this group.
Tommy Smith is an idiot!!
Come on Julie, put him in his place.
The defenders did everything right
Bloody hell, did Julie Foudy really just say that Ruud is "always in there picking!" I know that the NBA Finals are on people's minds, but please, spare us the b-ball references.
Are you a fan of this guy?
I have never really liked him
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7440841.stm
Prince? The Purple One? Oh, definitely. I've got a great Prince playlist on the iPod that I listen to all the time. Granted, his output in the past ten to fifteen years hasn't been much but he was boss in the 80s.
2023: Lots of chat going on about Netherlands' first goal and whether it was offside or not. Now Christian Pannuci in trying to clear the ball was off the pitch when Wesley Sneijder hit his shot that Ruud van Nistelrooy deflected in. If Panucci was declared still active, then Ruud wasn't offside - but we are trying to find out so we can 100% say for sure.
Second half starting up....
No changes as of yet.
You can listen to the Prince story on the BBC Homepage
Tommy Smyth is a hack.
Did anyone see the hatefest between him and Andy Gray between the matches yesterday?
TOmmy said it was basically a joke they picked Podolski and Andy said you have to play him , he will get goals..
90 minutes later, Smyth proven an idiot.
He has been dire this whole tournament, starting with not thinking the Croatian penalty was fair...
Cheers, mate.
He is Irish so Americans think he knows what he is talking about.
This tournament he has people putting him in his place. He needs to just SHUT UP!!
I did catch that. Strangely, though, I thought at first that Tommy was right since Podolski had had such a poor season. I might have started with Schweinsteiger instead. But Lucas certainly had a point to prove and proved me (and Tommy) wrong.
I do agree that he's wrong about 85% of the time. He definitely got the Croatian penalty wrong, but his specs do look a little thick.
The Guardian podcast had an interesting comment this morning about Podolski's lack of goal celebration - they reckoned that it had to do with his Polish ancestry. I hadn't thought of that at the time.
I know, I know, Magnus - maybe it is bleedin' obvious.
I'm dying to see Antonio Cassano. What's Donadoni waiting for?
Oh, nearly there from Zambrotta. Brilliant run and just about squeezed one in from a tight angle.
Great move but should have passed
That's not exactly the move I expected from the Italians - Grosso, a left back, on for Materazzi. Uh, Roberto, you're two behind, mate!
Really, the Dutch haven't beaten Italy in thirty years? Crikey!
Good possession
De Jong picks up a yellow after being caught out by Ambrosini.
Toni takes down well, spins but his shot was tame.
Gattuso's on thin ice here. I'd love to see that little bastid go off.
I can't see the Italians coming back with this group. Thirty minutes left and Donadoni's bottled it.
Which groups are in Austria and Switzerland?
Obviously, the Austrian and Swiss are playing at home.
The others?
Looks like Del Piero's coming on to rescue the Azurri. I don't think he's the guy.
The Italians can still easily qualify.
The Dutch will probably lose to Romania
I've just looked it up. Groups A and C are in Switzerland and B and D are in Austria.
Why would the Dutch lose to Romania on this showing?
From King Eric
1927: "I hope Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Old Trafford - but if he wants to leave I am sure Manchester United will still win things. But I am sure that Ferguson will try as hard as possible to keep him at Old Trafford... it is never the right time to leave United."
The great Eric Cantona, on BBC Radio Five Live
Del Piero's come on for Di Natale. I thought Di Natale looked good in the first half but he ran out of gas.
They always seem to lose after a good win
Face it, Dave - Cronaldo's gone. Now you can start hating him like all the rest of us.
NO, HE ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE!!!
Cameronese was looking for a free kick but the referee played on.
Is too - his mum's a Real fan and you know that Cristiano is a big mama's boy.
He won't leave until SAF is gone
Another chance from Del Piero
He has been dangerous
Ruud off for Robin
Del Piero had the chance and he choked on it.
It's Robin for Ruud.
You said the same thing about Becks and SAF is still there and Becks is lounging poolside at the Chateau Marmont.
'c'or blimey, he fizzed that one in"
Classic
Oh goodie, here comes Cassano.
He was miles on side!!!
Oh, the linesman raises his flag for offside but Andy Gray is spot on again by spotting that he came from an onside position. Well, they did get a gift from that linesman in the first half.
Luca Toni should have scored!!
Toni with an absolute sitter there. He showed his static nature there.
RVP has been on the pitch for a few minutes now. Still no injury!!
Grosso gets in behind and produces a great save from VDS.
Great save by VDS, the rebound was delayed in getting cleared
Another great save by VDS and then the Dutch go down and score number 3!!!!!
Grosso on second look probably should have taken it with his right foot.
Another great save from VDS from Pirlo's free kick.
GOAL! Van Bronkhorst puts in the third!
Tony will not be enjoying this one!
He is still in the the hospital and will be as sick as a parrot right now
That two minute spell has probably put Italy out of the tournament.
I'll bet. I just mailed him a card today. Hope he's feeling better soon.
Does Andy Gray love this game? Oh yes, he does!
The Italians are still not out.
They can beat the French and the Romanians
oooh, almost number 4
What a shot! Nearly 4-0.
Don't count on it. They're always slow starters in the group stage but they rarely lose one. From what I saw today, the French will take some doing to break them down.
Ruud looks like he's looking forward to a nice warm blanket and some hay in the barn tonight. He's earned it.
RVP wriggles through a few challenges and then launches one wide. Van Basten's saying, "I'd have stuck that one in." But he's a happy man nonetheless.
The Italians fail to score twice from inside the six yard box
That's it. I hope the Dutch do the same to the French.
Good to spend the afternoon with you
I have to start at the college tomorrow. I don't know if I will be around.
Cheers
Full-time: Holland 3-0!
I thoroughly enjoyed that. The Dutch were simply breathtaking at times. The Italians looked old and weary. It's all bad news for them. They're goal difference is now a big problem, the injury to Materazzi and a yellow card to Gattuso, who will probably miss out on the third match against France. They're done.
Nice chatting with you, lads!
I'm be here again in the morning for the Spain-Russia match. That'll be right after my dissertation defense. Wish me luck!
Good luck on the dissertation - if you need sleeping watch that France game again. Italy fell away and only Del Piero looked like he had any goals in him - Italy are suffering from Duncan Ferguson syndrome - lots of hoofing it aimlessly at him and if you control him you beat them.
RVN by a nose? More like by a freaking mile he was offside.
But that was a cracker. By miles the best game of this tournament. I gave myself permission to have an evil laugh because that Swedish ref is the same one that gave Babel that nothing penalty. Good to see others sharing my pain.
First though, a separated at birth- Donadoni and Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips.
Key element pointed out by Andy Gray was that only one player in the first 11 was under 30. Panucci in particular looks like he's dying his hair a Goth-black.
Again, the team selection was bad. And again, Andy Gray had the telling comment. Milan doesn't even make the CL this year, and Donadoni picks the 3 Italians from Milan to the Italian squad, neglecting the superior De Rossi. And the Milan playmaker Pirlo got the nod ahead of either Cassano or Del Piero.
The Gator thinks that the Italians have too great a mountain of goal difference to climb. I think they can bounce back, but Gattuso's yellow is another bad set back.
The Dutch were monumental. Only DeJong didn't look completely comfortable. But he looked more comfortable than any of the Italians.
VDS was excellent, Scneijder was excellent, RVN did what he does, Engelar was excellent, Kuyt was at his dogged best, and Van Der Vaart too was terrific. Even Boularouz who got laughed out of England was great.
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