What a fantastic and entertaining game of football! Whether ITV couldn't make its mind up about calling the Dutch team The Netherlands, Netherlands or Holland, it was of little significance to the entertainment offered by the two sides, whose positive and attacking approach made for a great game to watch. For a change, I'll adopt the spiritually correct 'Holland' even though the officially correct approach is 'The Netherlands'.
Australia (apparently the lowest ranked of all the teams in the competition) managed to outplay Holland in the first half, and if anything the Aussies were perhaps unlucky not to be ahead. Robben's individual effort was a good goal, but Cahill's goal a minute later was absolutely superb. The penalty awarded to Australia was never a penalty; the ball hit the defender's trailing left hand from a powerful strike that was no more than two fucking yards from the hand. Still, 2-1 it was, until Van Persie got an equaliser.
Van Persie picked up a yellow card, after displaying not uncommon cuntishness. He is forever pushing, elbowing and generally being thuggish in every game he plays, under the illusion that it is impossible for the attacking player to commit a foul, and that defenders are always the offenders. He'll miss the next game, but he was around in this one to put Holland 3-2 up, after Australia almost managed to take the lead. The error by the Aussie keeper was unfortunate, and gave the Dutch a lead they were not really worthy of.
Robben showed us a number of times how to fall to the ground at the slightest touch, while De Jong tried to get a yellow card without success. Van Persie was substituted after 87 minutes and while some orange fans clapped, there was sufficient other noise, jeering and booing to suggest that he's not the most popular of players.
There was sadly an inevitability about the result, and so whatever the preceding play and effort warranted, with perhaps a draw as the fairest result, the Dutch managed to get through the game despite not managing to deal with the Australians as well as they'd killed off Spain in the last match.
The funniest and most telling comment in this coverage was actually by Patrick Vieira in the studio, who at half time likened a challenge by Tim Cahill to a "Roy Keane challenge", explaining that it was late and with the purpose of taking the man out. Well done, Patrick, for saying it exactly how was needed!
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