The Netherlands earned sweet revenge onSpain on Friday at the Fonte Nova in Salvador, hammering Spain 5-1 to put an emphatic coda on their loss in the 2010 World Cup finals.
Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben both scored twice, and Stefan de Vrij added one to pace the Netherlands after an early and controversial penalty had staked Spain an early lead. And believe it or not, the Dutch could have had a few more. It was the heaviest loss ever suffered by a reigning champion, and it leaves Spain staring at an early exit. Spain hadn't lost in a Cup match in such a shambolic fashion since 1950 -- fittingly enough, that was against hosts Brazil.
This was the first group stage meeting between the previous World Cup's finalists in history, a seemingly dry fact belied by the rancor of that game. Then, Spain needed extra time to down a Dutch side that should have been reduced to ten men after Nigel de Jong infamously delivered a karate kick to Xabi Alonso's midsection in Johannesburg, South Africa. That was a dirty show from Holland, and no one had forgot it; the question coming in was whether or not they could overcome that bitter history.
No comments:
Post a Comment