The most classic football match in my mind is the quarter-final between the Netherlands and Brazil in the 21 World Cup in South Africa.
Holland, once known as the strongest team in Europe, is famous in the world for its total football style. The players have excellent personal skills and pleasing playing methods. I have been a loyal fan of the Dutch team since the Three Musketeers era. Unfortunately, the powerful Netherlands has always missed the World Cup for various reasons.
In the p>21 World Cup qualifiers, the Netherlands easily advanced with an excellent record. In the World Cup, the group reached the knockout stage with a record of three wins, and eliminated Slovakia 2-1 in the quarter-finals to reach the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals on July 2nd, facing the favourite Brazil, the Dutch team scored a goal first, and with the excellent performance of the central midfielder Sneijder, they won 2-1 and successfully advanced to the semi-finals.
The two sides have played against each other for 9 times in history, with Brazil winning 3 games, 4 draws and 2 losses slightly gaining the upper hand, and the World Cup finals met three times. The Netherlands only won the group match in 1974, and then Brazil passed the knockout twice, one of which was a penalty shoot-out.
shortly after the opening, Kuyt picked the ball in the restricted area, and Van Persie grabbed the front point and fell under Juan's defense. The referee did not give a penalty and the scene was booed. Both teams are trying to control the midfield, so the fight here is particularly fierce. Alves and Melo committed consecutive fouls. In the 8th minute, fabiano made a direct pass. After receiving the direct pass, Alves made an oblique pass into the left side of the restricted area. Robinho pushed an empty net into the net, but then he raised the flag to indicate that Alves was offside at the far end. The playback also confirmed his correct judgment.
Brazil took the lead in the 1th minute, Melo made a direct pass, and the Dutch central defender made a fatal gap. Robinho pushed the goal from the edge of the penalty area. Brazil, coached by Dunga, won all the 15 games scored by Robinho before, and maybe this one will be the same. However, the Dutch team showed rare resilience. In the 11th minute, Van Persie passed the ball, and Kuyt's powerful shot from the left 18 yards of the restricted area was saved by Cesar. In the 14th minute, after Mai Kong broke the ball, he made a direct pass. Haitinga kicked down fabiano and was given a yellow card. Alves missed a free kick 4 yards away. In the 16th minute, Kuyt steals from the left in the frontcourt and crosses, but the Brazilian defender successfully clears.
in the 17th minute, bastos fouled Robben, and Van Persie shot a free kick directly from 28 yards. In the 25th minute, Kaka broke into the right edge of the restricted area, and De Rong chased and shoveled the bottom line in time. Then Alves kicked the corner and was cleared. The Barcelona winger slipped past Dirk Kuyt and passed the ball. Juan shot the ball high at 8 yards. In the 29th minute, Ojell fouled Kaka on the wing, Alves made a free kick from the right, and the unguarded fabiano headed high again at 14 yards. In the 3th minute, Van Persie returned and Robben's shot on the edge of the restricted area was blocked.
in the 31st minute, Robinho passed the ball continuously from the left, and fabiano tapped his heel. Kaka's 2-yard arc shot was saved by Stecklenberg. In the 32nd minute, Alves' long-range shot was confiscated by Stecklenberg. In the 36th minute, Sneijder's 35-yard free kick was confiscated by Cesar. A minute later, bastos fouled Robben and was booked. Dunga was so emotional outside that the fourth official had to intervene. At halftime, Mai Kong's shot from the right side of the penalty area was saved from the near corner by Stecklenberg, and the referee did not award a corner kick.
In the 47th minute, Vandewell was booked for a foul on Melo. Then Kaka made a direct pass, and fabiano's tackle on the right side of the penalty area was blocked by Heitinga. Alves kicked the corner and Juan headed the ball wide. In the 5 th minute, Van Persie passed the ball and Sneijder missed the low shot in front of the penalty area. In the 52nd minute, bastos almost got a second yellow card for a tackle on Robben. Holland equalized the score in the 53rd minute, and Sneijder made a cross from the right. Cesar made a mistake and collided with teammate Melo, and the ball was pushed into his own door by Melo.
In the 61st minute, Alves missed from 25 yards. Then Gilberto Melo replaced bastos. In the 63rd minute, when Lucio was fighting in the arc of the restricted area, the ball hit his hand, but Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura didn't punish him. In the 64th minute, De Jong was given a yellow card for Robinho's tactical foul. In the 66th minute, Kaka missed the volley from the inside of his foot at the edge of the arc in the restricted area. In the 68th minute, Holland overtook the score, Robben kicked the right corner, Kuyt headed back and Sneijder headed the goal 4 yards, 2-1.
Brazil suffered another blow in the 74th minute. Melo kicked Robben down in a row and then trampled on his opponent badly. He was sent off with a red card. A minute later, Arjen Robben tripped Alves near the baseline, and Robinho repeatedly roared and accused the other side of diving. In the 76th minute, Ojell interfered with the opponent's quick foul ball off the court. Yuichi Nishimura made a conscious mistake after taking out a red card, and smiled and took out a yellow card to explain. Then Nierma replaced fabiano. In the 8th minute, Van Persie directly shot a free kick from 28 yards on the right.
In the 81st minute, Lucio volleyed after catching a corner kick, and the ball was blocked by Haitingga. Then the Netherlands made a mistake in defending the corner kick, but fortunately the ball slipped through the door. From the corner kick, Gilberto Silva's header, which lacked strength in front of the small restricted area, was confiscated by Stecklenberg. In the 84th minute, Van Persie passed a man in the restricted area, and Sneijder's 14-yard push was confiscated by Cesar. Brazil quickly counterattacked, Kaka cut into the restricted area after crossing the left, but the final shot was blocked by Ojell in time.
in the 85th minute, Huntelaar replaced Van Persie. Two minutes later, Kuyt was dragged into the restricted area by his teammates, but Juan responded to the tackle in time. In the 93rd minute, Stecklenberg made a long pass, and the Dutch frontcourt formed a 3-to-1 chance, but Huntelaar's back pass was chased by Alves. In the end, the Netherlands won 2-1 and advanced to the semi-finals, and Brazil, the five-time champion, was eliminated.
The reason why this game is regarded as a classic in my mind is that the Dutch team has always been a team with more passion but less toughness in my mind. However, in this game against five-star Brazil, I saw the new Netherlands, which has always played beautifully and has a very long toughness. It makes me worship and admire this tulip more unswerving.
Kuyt and Robben celebrate the victory.