Netherlands heap more misery on Brazil to claim World Cup third place

Sport360 staff 01:57 13/07/2014
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  • Blind spot: Holland defender Daley Blind celebrates his first ever international goal.

    Louis van Gaal signed off as Netherlands boss in fitting fashion as the Dutch claimed third place, but Brazil’s ignominious week went from bad to worse.

    It took less than three minutes for the Netherlands to take the lead in Brasilia as Robin van Persie fired home from the penalty spot after Thiago Silva had fouled Arjen Robben.

    While the Brazil captain was fortunate to stay on the pitch, the contact took place outside the area, and as the Selecao sulked van Gaal’s men doubled their lead as Daley Blind profited from a terrible David Luiz clearance.

    Brazil attempted to rally but were unable to put the Dutch under any real pressure and Georgino Wijnaldum struck a third in injury time as their World Cup petered out in pitiful circumstances.

    Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari – a previous World Cup winner in 2002 – will most likely now exit his job under a cloud, but for opposite number van Gaal redemption has arrived as he deaprts for Manchester United.

    Scolari rung the changes ahead of the third-place play-off, but unfortunately for the host they mattered little as Robben raced clear in only the second minute before Silva tugged him back.

    Television replays subsequently showed the contact was outside the box but referee Djamel Haimoudi pointed to the spot. Silva was last man and should have been sent off, but van Persie ensured the Netherlands at least gained an advantage on the scoreboard with a confidently struck penalty.

    Brazil intially rallied, but soon found themselves two goals down. Jonathan de Guzman might just have been offside as he collected the ball on the right, but his cross should have been dealt with.

    Instead, Luiz attempted a blind header which fell invitingly for Blind, who took a touch before firing home right-footed from 12 yards. The Selecao were shocked, but as disbelief swept through the stadium, the hosts began to gain a foothold.

    That was mainly due to the efforts of Oscar – having his best game since the tournament’s opener – and after testing Jasper Cillessen from range, he whipped in a couple of devilish set pieces that only just evaded a telling touch.

    Luiz Gustavo paid the price for an anonymous first half, as he was hauled off at the break but his replacement, Fernandinho, almost let Robben in for a third within five minutes of the restart. 

    The Bayern Munich man nipped in ahead of the Manchester City midielder and Maicon, before darting into the box but his shot was deflected behind off Silva.

    At the other end, Oscar appeared to be the only player in a yellow shirt even attempting to get his team moving forward. His Chelsea team-mate Ramires did fizz a shot from the edge of the area wide of Cillessen’s far post, while Luiz fired a free-kick from range, but the hosts attacks were becoming quite desperate, very un-Brazilian.

    The Selecao should have had a glimmer of hope with just over 20 minutes left, as Oscar had a strong penalty appeal turned down after tumbling over a challenge from Blind.

    Clearly Oscar played for it, but while he received a booking for simulation, the impact was enough to force the Dutchman off on a stretcher.

    In truth Brazil had barely done enough to warrant such a lifeline and their misery was compounded by Wijnaldum’s smart finish from Daryl Janmaat’s pull back.

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