Holland swept past Latvia to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 with a
helping hand from the Czech Republic.
Germany went into their game against the Czechs second in Group D but
ultimately needed a win to qualify for the last eight as Holland took all three
points in a 3-0 win over the Baltic outfit at Braga's Municipal Stadium.
As it was, Germany crashed to a 2-1 defeat, allowing the Dutch to leapfrog
them in the the table and set up a quarter-final clash against Sweden on
Saturday.
Man of the match Ruud Van Nistelrooy put the Dutchmen on their way, converting
a penalty after Edgar Davids was fouled inside the box and the Manchester United
striker got his second - and fourth of the tournament - with a close-range
downward header.
Bayern Munich's Roy Makaay finished off Latvia's dreams of reaching the
quarter-finals of a major competition for the first time with Holland's third
goal.
With an efficient performance which relied on their ability to make the most
of their chances, the Dutch controlled and dominated a game they had to win,
following their draw against Germany in their opening game and their dramatic
3-2 loss against the Czechs.
Holland coach Dick Advocaat was forced to do without regular defenders Wilfred
Bouma and Johnny Heitinga but had the experienced duo Frank de Boer and Michael
Reiziger as sturdy replacements.
The Dutch fans reacted with boos and whistles as under-fire coach Dick
Advocaat's name reverberated around the stadium when the teams' line-ups were
announced shortly before kick-off.
In the very first minute, Clarence Seedorf tried his luck from distance, but
his shot went way off-target.
Latvia reacted seconds later, with forward Maris Verpakovskis firing inches
wide of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar's right post after his formidable run from
the right wing.
But it was all Latvia could manage in the opening half with Holland
continuously testing Latvia's rearguard.
With 11 minutes played, goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko was forced to dive to
his left to clear a powerful strike from Phillip Cocu.
A minute later, van Nistelrooy missed a golden opportunity to give his team
the lead following a perfect assist from recently-signed Chelsea player Arjen
Robben.
Kolinko was forced to come off his line to save the close-range shot from an
unmarked van Nistelrooy, who should have done better.
Midway through the first-half, Seedorf's well-taken free-kick from 30 yards
went narrowly over - but Holland's hard work finally paid off as Danish referee
Kim Milton Nielsen pointed to the spot after Aleksandrs Isakovs pulled down
Davids inside the area.
Van Nistelrooy made up for his earlier error, as he struck the ball towards
the left post to beat Kolinko and give his team a 1-0 advantage in the 27th
minute.
Eight minutes later, van Nistelrooy headed home his team's second of the
evening after a formidable assist from Cocu.
A cross from Seedorf found the Barcelona midfielder whose first-touch header
served van Nistelrooy, who nodded past Kolinko from close range.
The goalscorer could have made it a hat-trick five minutes before the break,
but his powerful strike from the edge of the area was met by a fine save from
the keeper.
After the break Andrejs Prohorenkovs' found an unmarked Rubins on the edge of
the area, but his powerful close-range shot was superbly saved by van der Sar.
Seconds later, Lobanovs tried his luck but he fired inches wide of Holland's
left post, before Robben terrified the Latvian defence as he surged forward
inside the danger zone, but his straight shot did not trouble the keeper.
The first substitutions came on the hour, with Latvian forward Marians Pahars
replacing a tired Verpakovskis and Marc Overmars taking Andy Van der Meyde's
place in the Dutch midfield.
The changes made no difference, with Holland still surging forward and Latvia
forced to defend and hit their rivals in the counter-attack.
In the 67th minute, Seedorf should have made it 3-0 but his header, following
a perfect cross from the right from Frank de Boer, was way off-target.
Two minutes later, the night's goalscorer received a warm ovation from the
crowd as he left the pitch and Bayern Munich forward Makaay was brought on.
With 71 minutes played, Makaay had a goal disallowed for offside seconds
before Seedorf had tested Kolinko with a powerful free-kick.
Shortly after, Seedorf tried his luck from close range but his effort was once
again cleared by the keeper.
The stadium came alive as the Orange fans found out the Czechs had come from
behind to lead in Lisbon, meaning their team were minutes away from
qualification.
That encouraged the Dutch, who with nine minutes remaining killed off the game
after substitute Makaay burst between two defenders and fired towards the right
post, with the keeper unable to clear.
With one minute remaining, Kolinko was forced to clear de Boer's dangerous
strike in what was Holland's last effort before the end.
The Dutch players then celebrated after confirmation the Czechs had beaten
Germany.
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