This is the 8th meeting between these teams, and I do think it's interesting that the only time the Dutch lost was the final in '78. But as the 17th century Amsterdam philosopher Baruch Spinoza wrote shortly before his death in 1676 without ever seeing the Dutch win a World Cup, "De speel voetbal met twee handen rond uw keel is zeer moeilijk." (Curiously, Spinoza's syntax is often accused of sounding like he ran his work through babelfish.)
A few bench players got the start today for Holland, and 19 year old Ryan Babel coming in for Van Kneestillsore was another new face. I wasn't sure at first if leaving out Arjen Robben was an attempt to rest him for the second round or an attempt to improve Holland's anemic offense by not playing a ballhog. Based on the complete lack of energy Holland showed, I think it's pretty clear that it was the former.
Van der Sar
De Cler
Jaliens
Ooijer
Boulahrouz
Cocu
Sneijder (Maduro '86)
Van der Vaart
Van Persie (Landzaat '67)
Van Nistelrooij (Babel '56)
Kuijt
Organized into a sleepy 4-3-3 with a lot of lasagna stains on their uniforms. In the 83rd minute, as Babel was in a tough spot with two defenders at the just inside the corner of the penalty box, the narcolepsy hit him so hard he just slumped to the ground without warning. The referee stopped the game while the Argentine defenders, literally trying not to laugh at how pathetic a dive attempt that was, lifted him back on his feet. His one big shot had a nice narcolepsy bobble while he, wide open with loads of time, sat and watched a defender close on him, then couldn't get around the guy and plunked a shot off of him.
The most dangerous free kicks the Dutch took were equally uninspired. First Van Persie and then Van der Vaart couldn't shake off the lasagna coma long enough to get the ball on target, both sailed a mile wide. The defenders weren't so bad, and Argentina didn't do anything too creative to challenge them, although the point where Riquelme was calmly dribbling around the box with 4 Oranje defenders stumbling after him, and nobody could get the ball away was a little alarming. It was more alarming that Riquelme couldn't find anything to do with it since nobody made a run.
Okay then, coffee enemas all around before the Portugal game, boys, and for the love of god, lay off the lasagna. Seriously I think Van der Sar could have gotten pneumonia and bedsores being idle for that long.
Netherlands 0-0 Argentina
Portugal v Netherlands - Sunday at 2pm from Nuremburg
Argentina v Mexico - Saturday at 2pm from Leipzig
Apparently the offensively challenged Serbs finally got out of their own half and took a 2-0 lead against Cote d'Ivoire, which would have moved them out of last place for the tournament, but then they blew that giving up three goals and two penalties, and they've got an iron grip on it. I only care because the four years of hearing about the US' last place finish in France'98 were very tough on a person as thin-skinned as I am, and if Costa Rica finished dead last it sparks more arguments about how Finland or Moldova or whatever European team would have dramatically increased the quality of the tournament if they'd had Costa Rica's spot. Don't anybody undercut my hyperbole by pointing out that the next qualifier from Europe would have been one of Norway, Slovakia, or Turkey, and not Moldova.
Cote d'Ivoire 3-2 Serbia & Montenegro
'10 Zigic
'20 Ilic
'37 Dindane (pen)
'67 Dindane
'85 Kalou (pen)
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