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Dutch domination at its finest
Posted: Saturday June 20, 1998 07:49 PM
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Phillip Cocu scored one of the Netherlands five goals in its impressive romp over South Korea (AP) |
ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- Orange crush. Need we say any more? The display
put on by the Netherlands
against South Korea
solidified them as one of the favorites to be playing in the World Cup
final on July 12. It was in a word -- complete. Now the South Koreans
are not exactly one of the stronger teams in France '98, but
then again the Dutch took it easy on them and still won 5-0. Often times,
it looked as if the Dutch were toying with South Korea. The fourth goal
was set up when the Netherlands passed the ball around the penalty area
by-passing shot after shot while the team waited for midfielder Ronald de
Boer to make a run up the middle. When he finally did so, de Boer collected
the ball, turned to goal and ripped another shot past the helpless South
Korean goalkeeper. The firepower that this Netherlands team has is quite
impressive, nearly everyone of its starters is a star with his club team.
More impressively, they are playing together, a problem that has plagued
Dutch teams in big tournaments before. They look happy on the pitch, and
if they keep getting better with each match -- remember they were without
striker Patrick Kluivert against South Korea and will have to play their
final match against Mexico without
him as a result of his red card against Belgium --
there seems to be no limit to how far Orange Crush might go. But things
will certainly get tougher for the Netherlands in its final group match
against Mexico. The Mexicans rallied to draw 2-2 with Belgium, and both
they and the Netherlands have four points in group play. It is the
Belgians who would appear to sit in the driver's seat, though, seeing as
they face winless South Korea in the final match. A win in that match and
they would end group play with five points, while the loser of the
Netherlands-Mexico contest would go home with just four points and the
winner would finish in first place in the group. As mentioned here in
the last installment of 91st Minute, the Belgians played their match
against Mexico aggressively, but not in a way that left them open to
defeat. A draw was almost as good as a win for Belgium, and that's exactly
what it got. Two goals by Marc Wilmots, one at the end of the first half
and one at the start of the second stanza, against a 10-man Mexican squad
which had lost defender Pavel Pardo to a red card in the 29th minute gave
Belgium what looked like an insurmountable two-goal lead. But this is
France '98, and what goes around comes around when it comes to red cards.
When Belgium substitute Gert Verheyen tripped Mexico's Ramon Ramirez in
the penalty area in the 55th minute, referee Hugh Dallas of Scotland never
hesitated in flashing the red card. Mexico's Alberto Garcia Aspe converted
the penalty kick, and Mexico had new life. It knotted up the contest in
the 63rd minute when Cuauhtemoc Blanco came flying up the right side to
meet Ramirez' left-footed cross, volleying the ball into the goal with his
left foot. Mexico created more chances the rest of the way, but the
Belgians held the fort and got the necessary one point from the draw. In
the morning contest, Croatia all but
clinched a spot in the second round with its 1-0 win over Japan.
Blanco's equalizing score came with the wrong foot, but Mexico certainly isn't complaining (AP) | |
Captain
Davor Suker, who might just be the best pure goalscorer in this tournament,
scored his country's lone goal in the second half after barely missing
three times in the first half. This Croatian team is a dangerous one that
could cause trouble in the elimination rounds in much the same way Bulgaria did
in '94 -- they have a few quite deadly scorers, are solid on defense and
are hungry to gain some respect. Player of the Day: Dennis
Bergkamp. Fully healthy after seven weeks battling a hamstring pull,
Bergkamp returned to dominant form against South Korea, scoring one goal,
setting up the Netherlands first goal and driving the Dutch offense all
game. Most teams that win the World Cup have a player who is clearly the
best in the tournament, such as Pele or Diego Maradona. Saturday, Bergkamp
was just as dominant. If he plays like this the rest of the way, the Dutch
will be tough to beat. Goal of the Day: Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The
flashy Mexican with the white shoes and funky bounce move added something
else to his repertoire against Belgium when he scored with his wrong foot.
Blanco met a cross from the left corner with the outside part of his
left foot from 12 yards out rather than letting the ball cross his body so
he could blast it home with his right. The goal won't be used as an
instructional video for young soccer enthusiasts in Mexico, but it will
certainly be shown time and again if Mexico advances to the second round.
For it not only gave Mexico a point, but it also denied Belgium from
grabbing three points. Quote of the Day: "The team spirit is very
good -- that's what cost us two years ago [at Euro 96]. That's normally
our main opponent." -- Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp talking about team
morale after a 5-0 win over South Korea Outlook for Sunday: The
most politically-hyped game of the tournament finally arrives in the form
of U.S. vs. Iran. But for
each team, the game is much simpler than any diplomatic or political hatred
that exists between the countries. Win and you're still alive, lose and
your World Cup is over after just two games. The U.S. will change
tactics in a large way from its 2-0 loss to Germany last
Monday. Nearly all of them are designed to get more offensive firepower on
the field. Coach Steve Sampson is expected to switch to a 3-5-2
formation that employs two strikers, although his choice of strikers is not
clear. In addition, Tab Ramos and Frankie Hejduk, who both came on in the
second half against Germany, should start in the midfield in an attempt to
get more players on the pitch who will attack the opponents' goal. The
Iranians were impressive against Yugoslavia
in their first contest, losing just 1-0. But they are clearly the underdogs
here and will relish that role as they take on the U.S. or, as Iranians
call it, "The Great Satan." The U.S. loss to Germany was expected by
nearly everyone who follows soccer, but Sunday's contest might be the
biggest one for the U.S. team since the '94 World Cup. This game has
garnered great attention because of the lack of diplomatic relations
between the two nations and plenty of people in the U.S. who do not
normally tune into soccer will be watching. It's a great opportunity to
make them soccer fans, but if the U.S. loses it could also set the sport
back 10 years in this country.
The law of American sports is bandwagon
jumping. That wagon could fill up quickly with a win over Iran, but a loss
could leave the wagon emptier than can be. Basketball and hockey seasons
are over now, and baseball has a long way to go until September. The
opportunity is there for the U.S. team to seize its country's sporting
interest. The question remains: Will Steve Sampson's squad take it?
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