As Martin Tyler said, it was the result of the tournament. Holland upset Brazil and the millions around the world watching the World Cup were sent into shock. The 2-1 victory puts the Dutch into great position to reach the Final. If you had either Uruguay, Ghana, or the Netherlands in the Final - kudos to you... I sure didn't! But how did the Netherlands pull out the victory? Let's instantly analyze!
*Brazil Fell Apart
-After a strong start on a brilliant goal from Robinho, Brazil pushed for a second. The key moment was a huge Maarten Stekelenburg save off of a brilliant passage of play and a wicked Kaka shot in the 31st minute. After that moment, Brazil's push for a second goal never quite had the same impact. Then, in the second half, Brazil capitulated. The Dutch were never amazing in open play - but their first goal came after a missed punch from Julio Cesar and the second came off of a flicked header at a corner. Those are 2 goals that you simply cannot allow at the World Cup level. Brazil was simply shocking in the second half and fell apart - clearly seen with Felipe Melo's stamp on Arjen Robben that effectively ended the game.
*Dunga Will Bear The Blame
-Brazilians despise the way that their team played under Dunga. After a QF exit, he's likely gone and another coach will come in to restore the samba legacy. But, I don't think Dunga will get a fair shake. He crafted the team in his image and had the best backline in the competition, two competent defensive midfielders, and a potent strikeforce. However, his players simply didn't execute today. Maicon didn't get forward enough, Kaka never got a foothold in the game, and the defenders and goalkeeper were caught out on the two goals.
*Holland Is Into The Semis... And They Still Haven't Played Their Best!
-The Dutch were industrious today - which is a nice way of saying they didn't offer much going forward in open play. Robben was hemmed in. Sneijder was marshalled by the two central midfielders (aside from the 2 goals off set pieces of course) and as Efan Ekoku said - Mark Van Bommel must have had to kick the referee to get a yellow card. Sometimes in these tournaments though that is crucial - to get a result and advance without playing your absolute best...
*Holland's Most Important Quality Is Resiliency
-This isn't a Dutch team of Total Football and Johann Cruyff. This is a hard working, gritty, resilient team with Dirk Kuyt, Mark Van Bommel, Nigel De Jong, and today Andre Ooijer stepping in to defense. It wasn't brilliant passing movements that got the winning goals today - just a hopeful ball into the box, and a clever flick from Kuyt to Sneijder. This Dutch team has a real chance to deliver its first World Cup back home because of their resiliency and resourcefulness. It's not a quality we're used to seeing from the Netherlands, but it has served them very well so far.
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