Germany Grind Out Goalless Friendly With Holland In Amsterdam

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Normally teammates in the professional football ranks with record Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich, Holland winger ARJEN ROBBEN (11) races after the ball with Germany captain PHILIPP LAHM (16) during the scoreless and unspectacular international friendly match witnessed by 51,000 spectators at the Amsterdam Arena in Holland.
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With national teams both minus the services of several ‘big-name’ players, it probably should have come as no great surprise, then, that traditional neighboring rivals GERMANY and the NETHERLANDS ground out a 0-0 draw in an international friendly that was criticized by many for its dull and uninspiring football.

This match was, of course, the last international contest of the 2012 calendar year for Germany, who defeated their long-time nemesis next door from the Netherlands 2-1 at the group stage of the UEFA European Championships final tournament earlier this summer.

Holland, who are now managed by former Bayern Munich trainer LOUIS VAN GAAL, were without injured striker ROBIN VAN PERSIE of English Premier League club FC Arsenal of London. Overlooked for the friendly with Germany by van Gaal was experienced target man KLAAS JAN HUNTELAAR, the Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen striker who led the German top flight with 29 goals in 32 Bundesliga matches last term. Selected as the central striker at the Amsterdam Arena, then, was veteran DIRK KUYT, the 32-year-old approaching the century mark of caps for Holland who just left FC Liverpool after six seasons in England to sign with Turkish club SK Fenerbahce Istanbul for the special transfer rate of 1.0 million Euros.

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Trainer JUERGEN LOEW, meanwhile, decided not to field a ‘natural’ central striker at all in his Startelf against Holland at the Amsterdam Arena. Instead, the German tactician chose to rotate four players — MARIO GOETZE of Borussia Dortmund, LEWIS HOLTBY of Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen, MARCO REUS of Borussia Dortmund and Thomas MUELLER of BAYERN MUNICH — up front all throughout the course of the international match. The idea behind the strategy, of course, was to, hopefully, create confusion for the Dutch markig system.

Germany midfielder ILKAY GUENDOGAN of two-time defending Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund was unlucky not to register his first international goal shortly before the halftime break but Holland defender JOHN HEITINGA of English Premier League club FC Everton was able to clear the line.

Germany goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER of Bayern Munich made a confident save to turn a rocket from Holland substitute defender DARRYL JANMAAT of Feyenoord Rotterdam over the crossbar in the second half and preserve the shutout at the other end of the pitch; the Netherlands might have snatched a winner not so long afterwards, but substitute winger ELJERO ELIA of German side Werder Bremen, the former SV Hamburg and 2010 Holland World Cup winger back in the Bundesliga this season after a wasted term with Italian Serie A giant FC Juventus of Turin, blasted well over.

Germany winger MARCO REUS could have settled the issue late but, as the Borussia Dortmund summer signing had done towards the end of the first half, did not get his shot on target.

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Holland goalkeeper KENNETH VERMEER (1) of Ajax Amsterdam celebrated his senior international debut for the Netherlands national team by not only starting the prestige friendly against traditional powerhouse Germany but finishing the match at the Amsterdam Arena with a clean sheet, as well.
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HOLLAND
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goal — Kenneth VERMEER (Ajax Amsterdam / 1 cap)

defense — Ricardo VAN RHIJN (Ajax Amsterdam / 5 caps, 0 go), John HEITINGA (FC Everton – Eng / 85 caps, 7 go), Ron VLAAR (FC Aston Villa – Eng / 14 caps, 1 go), Bruno MARTINS INDI (Feyenoord Rotterdam / 6 caps, 2 go)

def midfield — Nigel DE JONG (AC Milan – Ita / 67 caps, 1 go), Rafael VAN DER VAART (SV Hamburg – Ger / 103 caps, 21 go)

att midfield — Ruben SCHAKEN (Feyenoord Rotterdam / 2 caps, 1 go), Ibrahim AFFELAY (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen – Ger / 44 caps, 5 go), Arjen ROBBEN (Bayern Munich – Ger / 63 caps, 17 go)

striker — Dirk KUYT (SK Fenerbahce Istanbul – Trk / 92 caps, 24 go)

substitutes
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DF – Daryl JANMAAT (Feyenoord Rotterdam / 3 caps, 0 go)
for van Rhijn – 46th min
DF – Stefan DE VRIJ (Feyenoord Rotterdam / 2 caps, 0 go)
for Heitinga – 46th min
MF – Eljero ELIA (Werder Bremen – Ger / 28 caps, 2 go)
for Robben – 46th min
MF – Marco VAN GINKEL (FC Vitesse Arnhem / 1 cap, 0 go)
for Affelay – 59th min
MF – Urby EMANUELSSON (AC Milan / 16 caps, 0 go)
for van der Vaart – 72nd min

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The Startelf for DEUTSCHLAND, with a genuine central striker conspicuously absent from trainer JUERGEN LOEW’s line-up, pause for the traditional team photograph just prior to the start of the international friendly match with the national team of the neighboring Netherlands at the Amsterdam Arena.
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GERMANY
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goal — Manuel NEUER (Bayern Munich / 36 caps)

defense — Benedikt HOEWEDES (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen / 10 caps, 1 go), Per MERTESACKER (FC Arsenal – Eng / 85 caps, 2 go), Mats HUMMELS (Borussia Dortmund / 23 caps, 1 go), Philipp LAHM (Bayern Munich / 95 caps, 5 go)

def midfield — Lars BENDER (Bayer Leverkusen / 11 caps, 1 go), Ilkay GUENDOGAN (Borussia Dortmund / 4 caps, 0 go)

att midfield — Thomas MUELLER (Bayern Munich / 38 caps, 10 go), Lewis HOLTBY (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen / 3 caps, 0 go), Marco REUS (Borussia Dortmund / 14 caps, 5 go)

striker — Mario GOETZE (Borussia Dortmund / 20 caps, 3 go)

substitutes
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MF – Lukas PODOLSKI (FC Arsenal – Eng / 106 caps, 44 go)
for Goetze – 72nd min
MF – Sven BENDER (Borussia Dortmund / 3 caps, 0 go)
for L. Bender – 83rd min
MF – Andre SCHUERRLE (Bayer Leverkusen / 20 caps, 7 go)
for Mueller – 84th min
MF – Roman NEUSTAEDTER (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen / 1 cap, 0 go)
for Holtby – 87th min
MF – Julian DRAXLER (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen / 3 caps, 0 go)
for Reus – 90th +2 min

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2012 European Championships : Germany 2 – Holland 1

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Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN (11) of this season’s beaten UEFA Champions League Finalist Bayern Munich runs past his Bundesiga professional colleague in Bavaria, Germany captain and left back PHILIPP LAHM (16), during the critical 2012 UEFA European Championships Group B match contested at the Metalist Stadium in the Ukranian city of Kharkiv.
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A pair of well-taken first half strikes from last season’s leading scorer in the Bundesliga held up when a second half rally quickly ran out of steam on a very hot summer night in the Ukraine as confident GERMANY defeated long-time rival and next-door-neighbor HOLLAND 2-1 on the second day of competition in Group B at the 2012 UEFA European Championships.

MARIO GOMEZ of Bayern Munich, who led the German top flight a year ago with 28 goals on the 2010/11 season, twice accepted outstanding service from Bundesliga constituent BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, a tireless engine in midfield for Deutschland all evening long, and skillfully shot past Dutch goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG of Italian capital city club AS Roma twice within a quarter of an hour.

Super Mario opened the scoring for Germany in the 24th minute after accepting a surgical pass from Schweinsteiger and turning sharply with a spin-o-rama move the left the Dutch defense little more than an unanswered prayer for what would have been an incorrect offsides decision.

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Central defender HOLGER BADSTUBER (14) of Bayern Munich might have scored a second goal for Germany against the Netherlands in the first half even sooner but directed his close-range header right at Holland goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finalist and former Ajax Amsterdam netminder now standing between the stickings in Italy.
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Shortly after Badstuber went close, Gomez did net a second goal for the Germans with a splendid, sharp-angle shot which curled away from Stekelenburg and tucked just inside the far post. Once again it was the highly-experienced international Schweinsteiger who had delivered a wonderful, final ball to the Bayern Munich Torjaeger in the box. Spanish legionnaire MESUT OEZIL of 2012 La Liga champion Real Madrid, who had been unlucky to hit the woodwork early on in the match with the Dutch, had also been prominently involved by squaring for Schweini.

A 25th career international goal from the prolific Gomez put Germany firmly in control and prompted Dutch trainer BERT VAN MARWIJK to make two key substitutions at the halftime break. One of those sent on for Holland was none other than this season’s leading goal-scorer in the Bundesliga, striker KLAAS JAN HUNTELAAR of Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen. The other was the winger RAFAEL VAN DER VAART of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, the 29-year-old, one-time SV Hamburg veteran who was making his 98th career appearance for die Oranje in the match against century-old adversary Germany.

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Germany goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER of Bayern Munich, who earned his spurs for the national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa two summers ago, was credited with five saves against Holland by the official website of the 2012 UEFA European Championships and now has registered a dozen saves while conceding just once in two games thus far.
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Holland striker ROBIN VAN PERSIE, the 28-year-old FC Arsenal striker who scored 30 goals in the English top flight this term, came into the game more after the restart and forced alert Germany goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER of Bayern Munich into a flying save with a stinging volley just before the hour. With a little less than twenty minutes remaining, van Persie finally lifted the Dutch back into genuine contention and halved the deficit with a ferocious drive that beat Neuer low to the German’s left. For a shortwhile thereafter, Holland looked as if it might capitalize on the momentum.

But an equalizer never really was on the cards as Germany began to control the ball in earnest while playing a bit of keep away to kill the clock. Holland, having taken off former Bayern Munich ball-winner MARK VAN BOMMEL at halftime, could not come up with a solution to counter that while Huntelaar, who paced the Bundesliga this season with 29 goals for Schalke 04, was well-handled by the German backline.

Germany, who improved its record to 15 wins against 10 losses with 14 ties in matches with the neighboring Dutch since first meeting the Netherlands in April of 1910, has all but assured itself of a place in the quarterfinals with a second consecutive win at Euro 2012. Holland, on the other hand, will have to defeat resurgent Portugal by at least two goals on the third and final day of play in Group B. On top of that positive result, the Dutch will also need the Germans to defeat Denmark, as well.

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GERMANY
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goal — Manuel NEUER (Bayern Munich / 28 caps)

defense — Jerome BOATENG (Bayern Munich / 23 caps, 0 go), Mats HUMMELS (Borussia Dortmund / 16 caps, 1 go), Holger BADSTUBER (Bayern Munich / 22 caps, 1 go), Philipp LAHM (Bayern Munich / 88 caps, 4 go)

def midfield — Bastian SCHWEINSTEIGER (Bayern Munich / 92 caps, 23 go), Sami KHEDIRA (Real Madrid – Spa / 29 caps, 1 go)

att midfield — Thomas MUELLER (Bayern Munich / 29 caps, 10 go), Mesut OEZIL (Real Madrid – Spa / 35 caps, 8 go), Lukas PODOLSKI (1.FC Koeln / 99 caps, 43 go)

forward — Mario GOMEZ (Bayern Munich / 54 caps, 25 go)

substitutes
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FW – Miroslav KLOSE (SS Lazio Rome – Ita / 118 caps, 63 go)
for Gomez – 72nd min
MF – Toni KROOS (Bayern Munich / 28 caps, 2 go)
for Oezil – 81st min
MF – Lars BENDER (Bayer Leverkusen / 8 caps, 0 go)
for Mueller – 90+4th min

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HOLLAND
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goal — Maarten STEKELENBURG (AS Roma – Ita / 49 caps)

defense — Gregory VAN DER WIEL (Ajax Amsterdam / 34 caps, 0 go), John HEITINGA (FC Everton – Eng / 80 caps, 7 go), Joris MATHIJSEN (FC Malaga – Spa / 81 caps, 3 go), Jetro WILLEMS (PSV Eindhoven / 4 caps, 0 go)

def midfield — Mark VAN BOMMEL (AC Milan – Ita / 79 caps, 10 go), Nigel DE JONG (Manchester City – Eng / 62 caps, 1 go)

att midfield — Arjen ROBBEN (Bayern Munich – Ger / 59 caps, 17 go), Wesley SNEIJDER (Inter Milan – Ita / 86 caps, 24 go), Ibrahim AFELLAY (FC Barcelona – Spa / 40 caps, 5 go)

forward — Robin VAN PERSIE (FC Arsenal – Eng / 66 caps, 29 go)

substitutes
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MF – Rafael VAN DER VAART (Tottenham Hotspur – Eng / 98 caps, 18 go) for van Bommel – 46th min
FW – Klaas Jan HUNTELAAR (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen – Ger / 55 caps, 31 go)
for Afellay – 46th min
FW – Dirk KUYT (FC Liverpool – Eng / 90 caps, 24 go)
for Robben – 83rd min

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Robben’s Remarkable Run

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Two-time Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN (11) of German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich is no stranger to the city of London having spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge with FC Chelsea, where the Dangerous Dutchman won two Premier League crowns as well as an F.A. Cup title before transferring to Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid in exchange for 35.0 million Euros in the summer of 2007.
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As confirmed by no less of an authority than well-respected English football commentator MARTIN TYLER, himself, the first goal scored by ARJEN ROBBEN in the international friendly match between visiting HOLLAND and host ENGLAND has no alternative but to be considered one of the most brilliant ever taken at the hallowed ground known as Wembley Stadium.

Indeed, it is not often one watches a footballer take possession so deep on his side of midfield and then gallop so gracefully for such a great length before lashing an absolute pinpoint laser into the corner of the net.

England winger DANIEL STURRIDGE of FC Chelsea could have easily given far more effort towards tracking Robben back. And there was absolutely no need for the two England defenders, GARY CAHILL of FC Chelsea and CHRIS SMALLING of Manchester United, to both shadow Dutch striker KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR of German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen. But the class and quality of Robben’s strike from inside the half moon at the top of the box left England goalkeeper JOE HART of Manchester City little hope and is, without question, etched-in-memory, top shelf stuff.

Robben, of course, also later netted the injury-time match-winner in the friendly against England at Wembley and, by doing so, boosted his international total to 17 goals from 54 appearances for the national team of Holland.

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ENGLAND 2 – HOLLAND 3
Match Highlights

Klockwork Klose Dismantles Die Oranje – Germany Handles Holland Easily

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A pair of foreign legionnaires in Germany striker and Spielfuehrer MIROSLAV KLOSE (11) of Italian Serie A side SS Lazio of Rome, wearing the captain’s armband while enjoying an Indian summer after a free transfer from Bayern Munich several months ago, and Holland defender JORIS MATHIJSEN (4) of Spanish La Liga club CF Malaga, who was sold this summer by SV Hamburg for a fee of 2.5 million Euros following five years of service in the Bundesliga this summer, during the international friendly at the Imtech Arena in the north German port city of Hamburg.
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After rolling to a perfect ten victories following ten qualification matches over the past two seasons, GERMANY confirmed its status as a serious, heavyweight contender for the 2012 UEFA European Championships to be contested this upcoming summer with a convincing 3-0 result at home in Hamburg over the visiting neighbors from the NETHERLANDS, beaten Finalist at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Several star players did not appear in the match including the trio from Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich — Germany were without captain and left fullback PHILIPP LAHM as well as midfielder BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER while Holland are still sans dangerous winger ARJEN ROBBEN. The Netherlands also took the field against the neighbors to the east minus the English Premier League, London-based pair of striker ROBIN VAN PERSIE of FC Arsenal and RAFAEL VAN DER VAART, the former SV Hamburg and Real Madrid winger who is now with Tottenham Hotspur. Nevertheless, there was still plenty of world class talent on display for the spectators at the Imtech Arena.

Three-time World Cup veteran MIROSLAV KLOSE demonstrated quite clearly that he is, at this point, thoroughly prepared to compete for his place in trainer JOACHIM LOEW’s Germany side at Euro ’12 this summer. The 33-year-old striker, who has scored six goals in his first ten games for SS Lazio of Rome to start this year in Italy’s always-tough Serie A after netting just four balls in 45 Bundesliga matches over his last two seasons with Bayern Munich, had an absolutely brilliant evening while wearing the captain’s armband in place of Lahm. Aside from an astonishing 63rd international goal on his 113th career appearance for Germany, the legionnaire Klose also accounted for two lovely assists against the Dutch, as well.

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Germany World Cup winger THOMAS MUELLER (13) of Bayern Munich, who marked his 25th career appearance for Deutschland with his 10th international tally and was directly involved in the game’s two other goals, as well, jockeys for position with former Bundesliga teammate and Holland World Cup defender EDSON BRAAFHEID (5) of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, who was off-loaded by the record German champions last January after a two-year spell which included a loan term in Scotland with Glasgow Celtic, during the international friendly at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg.
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THOMAS MUELLER, who won the Golden Boot for as the top scorer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup final tournament, was another who had a spectacular evening for the Nationalelf and was involved in all three goals against the Netherlands in Hamburg. The 22-year-old winger opened the scoring in the 15th minute after smashing a gorgeous square ball from Klose past Dutch goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG of Italian side AS Roma. Another Bayern Munich midfielder, the 21-year-old TONI KROOS, had a hand in construction with a beautifully-flighted ball for the veteran striker out on the right flank.

Mueller, meanwhile, has struggled somewhat with just two goals for Bayern Munich in the first dozen games of this 2011/12 Bundesliga season but, also this fall, has now recorded three goals on his last four appearances for Deutschland.

Legionnaire MESUT OEZIL of Spanish La Liga giant Real Madrid also stood out on a night for Germany which saw all three goals scored as a result of high-class and technically-skilled movements that left the Dutch defense genuinely resembling a youth football team, as one German commentator noted. It was Oezil, who transferred from Werder Bremen to the capital city of Spain for a reported transfer fee of 18.0 million Euros in the August of 2010, who laid on the ball for Klose to head home in the 26th minute of the match. And it was Oezil who capped off the evening in the second half with the most eye-pleasing goal of the contest after glittering one-two stuff with Klose in the box.

A magnificent triumph for the home side, then, as, although Germany now lead the Netherlands by the count of 14-10 in victories with another 14 matches drawn for the all-time series that began over a century ago in April of 1910, the fact is, prior to the match in Hamburg, Deutschland had not defeated die Oranje since an international friendly in April of 1996.

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Germany World Cup midfielder MESUT OEZIL (8) of Spanish La Liga giant Real Madrid, who registered his eighth international goal on his 30th career appearance for the national team of Deutschland in the duel with the visiting Dutch neighbors, attempts to remain in possession despite the arrival of Holland substitute midfielder GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM (18) of PSV Eindhoven during the international friendly at the Imtech Arena in the northern port city of Hamburg.
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GERMANY
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goal – Manuel NEUER (Bayern Munich / 25 caps)

defense – Jerome BOATENG (Bayern Munich / 19 caps, 0 go), Per MERTESACKER (FC Arsenal – Eng / 79 caps, 1 go), Holger BADSTUBER (Bayern Munich / 18 caps, 1 go), Dennis AOGO (SV Hamburg 9 caps, 0 go)

def mf – Toni KROOS (Bayern Munich / 24 caps, 2 go), SAMI KHEDIRA (Real Madrid – Spa / 24 caps, 1 go)

att mf – Thomas MUELLER (Bayern Munich / 25 caps, 10 go), Mesut OEZIL (Real Madrid – Spa / 30 caps, 8 go), Lukas PODOLSKI (1.FC Koeln / 95 caps, 43 go)

attack – Miroslav KLOSE (SS Lazio Rome – Ita / 113 caps, 63 go)

substitutes
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df – Mats HUMMELS (Borussia Dortmund / 12 caps, 0 go)
for Badstuber – 46th min
df – Benedikt HOEWEDES (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen / 6 caps, 0 go)
for Boateng – 65th min
mf – Mario GOETZE (Borussia Dortmund / 12 caps, 2 go)
for Podolski – 65th min
mf – Marco REUS (Borussia Moenchengladbach / 3 caps, 0 go)
for Klose – 81st min
mf – Simon ROLFES (Bayer Leverkusen / 26 caps, 2 go)
for Kroos – 82nd min
mf – Lars BENDER (Bayer Leverkusen / 3 caps, 0 go)
for Khedira – 88th min

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HOLLAND
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goal – Maarten STEKELENBURG (AS Roma – Ita / 44 caps)

defense – Gregory VAN DER WIEL (Ajax Amsterdam / 29 caps, 0 go), John HEITINGA (FC Everton – Eng / 74 caps, 7 go), Joris MATHIJSEN (CF Malaga – Spa / 78 caps, 3 go), Edson BRAAFHEID (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – Ger / 10 caps, 0 go)

def mf – Mark VAN BOMMEL (AC Milan – Ita / 73 caps, 10 go), Kevin STROOTMAN (PSV Eindhoven / 10 caps, 1 go)

att mf – Dirk KUYT (FC Liverpool – Eng / 84 caps, 24 go), Wesley SNEIJDER (Inter Milan – Ita / 80 caps, 23 go), Ryan BABEL (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – Ger / 42 caps, 5 go)

attack – Klaus Jan HUNTELAAR (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen – Ger / 49 caps, 30 go)

substitutions
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mf – Nigel DE JONG (Manchester City – Eng / 56 caps, 1 go)
for Strootman – 64th min
fw – Roy BEERENS (AZ 67 Alkmaar / 2 caps, 0 go)
for Huntelaar – 76th min
fw – Luuk DE JONG (FC Twente Enschede / 3 caps, 1 go)
for Sneijder – 87th min
mf – Georginio WIJNALDUM (PSV Eindhoven / 2 caps, 1 go)
for Kuyt – 87th min

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Messi FIFA Balon d’Or Award

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(Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Europe)
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Every competent manager understands that without a tireless, uncompromising as well as effective ball-winner in the middle of the park, it is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, to properly field a championship side.

With this in mind, it is hard to know exactly how Argentina’s alleged World Cup “star” LIONEL MESSI of Spanish La Liga side FC Barcelona could have possibly bagged the coveted and prestigous FIFA BALON D’OR, particularly in light of the would-be magician’s spectacular failures as well as breath-taking disappearing act against organized and prepared Germany at the quarterfinal stage in South Africa.

LITTLE LEO THE TOOTHLESS # 10 LION was, much to the chagrin of Cheerleader-In-Chief Maradona, overwhelmed by the jungle that is the FIFA World Cup and scored no goals despite being credited with 30 shots for the 2010 tournament.

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(Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images)
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It is interesting to note but for the last-gasp effort of Real Madrid goalkeeper IKER CASILLAS to just barely deflect the ball from Holland winger ARJEN ROBBEN on the breakaway in the second half, the Netherlands — and not Spain — are FIFA World Cup champions for 2010.

Perhaps a more worthy recipient of the honor, which is supposed to be reserved for the best footballer on the entire planet, might have been Holland defensive midfielder NIGEL DE JONG on English Premier League club Manchester City.

After all, the Dutchman did score as many goals for the Netherlands as did Messi for Argentina at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

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(Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

van Basten’s Brilliant Volley

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Holland striker MARCO VAN BASTEN follows through as his spectacular volley heads for the back of the net in the 54th minute for the Netherlands’ second goal in the 2-0 defeat of the Soviet Union in the Final of the 1988 European Championships at the Olympiastadion in Munich, West Germnay. (Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
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For the benefit of those reading the Real Madrid – CF Valencia match report here not familiar with the reference with respect to the attempted over-the-shoulder volley of Los Che’s Spain international striker ROBERTO SOLDADO from the highlights in the first half of the La Liga match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this weekend…

…the blog presents the footage of one of, if not the most, spectacular goals ever scored — and in the final of a major international competiton, no less.

Of course, it can only be MARCO VAN BASTEN’s brillant strike for the Netherlands against the Soviet Union in the Final of the 1988 European Championships.

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At the 1988 European Championships, van Basten was on the heels of an injury-filled first season in Italy with AC Milan. The 23-year-old striker scored just three goals in 11 Serie A contests after transferring from Dutch Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam for a fee of $ 800,000 dollars in the summer of 1987. This shortly after van Basten had scored the deciding goal against East German outfit Lokomotiv Leipzig to win the 1987 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final.

Following his spectacular volley at the Olympiastadion in West Germany, which left highly-regarded Soviet Union goalkeeper RINAT DASAYEV absolutely handcuffed, van Basten went on to score many goals for AC Milan as the Italian giant captured the UEFA Champions Cup in both 1989 and 1990 in addition to a string of Serie A titles.

Huntelaar, Afellay Have Braces / Holland Handle Sweden

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Holland World Cup winger DIRK KUYT (7) of English Premier League club FC Liverpool demonstrates his balance as he concentrates on the ball while Holland World Cup defender GREGORY VAN DER WIEL (2) of Ajax Amsterdam and Sweden midfielder ANDERS SVENSSON (8) of IF Elfsborg, the 34-year-old veteran who spent four years with FC Southampton in England, survey the situation at the Amsterdam Arena. (Michael Kooren/Reuters)
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European Championships Qualifying
October 12, 2010

4 – NETHERLANDS ———- Huntelaar 4′, 55′, Afellay 37′, 58′
1 – SWEDEN ———————- Granqvist 69′

A pair of goals on each side of the halftime whistle from a couple of World Cup reserve players enabled HOLLAND to handle SWEDEN with ease 4-1 in the Group E qualifying match for the 2012 European Championships.

Striker KLAUS-JAN HUNTELAAR of German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen and midfielder IBRAHIM AFELLAY of PSV Eindhoven each had a brace while World Cup midfielder WESLEY SNEIJDER of Italy’s reigning UEFA Champions League champion Inter Milan assisted on Holland’s first two goals as the Dutch completely demolished the team thought by most to be the Netherlands’ biggest rival in the bracket.

Huntelaar has now scored in all four of Holland’s qualifiers for the European Championships this fall, eight goals in all, and hiked his career totals to 24 goals in 40 games for the Netherlands.

The 24-year-old Afellay, who has four goals in eight Dutch league games for PSV Eindhoven so far this season, celebrated his first two goals for the national team (on his 30th appearance) at the expense of his Eredivisie teammate, Sweden goalkeeper ANDREAS ISAKSSON.

Sweden defender ANDREAS GRANQVIST of Dutch outfit FC Groningen, one of five Eredivisie players to appear in the match for the visiting team, spoiled Holland World Cup goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG’s shutout bid in the 69th minute.

One down note to the evening for the Dutch was the injury to Holland World Cup winger DIRK KUYT of English Premier League club FC Liverpool.

The 30-year-old international veteran, who has won 73 caps (17 goals) for Holland, was hurt in an aerial duel with Sweden defender DANIEL MAJSTOROVIC of Scottish side Glasgow Celtic and had to be taken off in the 29th minute. Tests have revealed that Kuyt has torn ligaments in his ankle that could keep the Liverpool forward out of action up for a period as long as three months.

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Holland World Cup midfielder RAFAEL VAN DER VAART of English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur is triple-teamed by a trio of by a trio of Swedish players with Dutch Eredivisie experience — former Ajax Amsterdam striker ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (10) now of Italian club AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven midfielder OLA TOIVONEN (6) and AZ 67 Alkmaar midfielder PONTUS WERNBLOOM (16) — at the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands. (Peter De Jong/AP)
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HOLLAND
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gk — MAARTEN STEKELENBURG (Ajax Amsterdam)

df — ERIK PIETERS (PSV Eindhoven), JOHN HEITINGA (FC Everton – Eng), JORIS MATHIJSEN (SV Hamburg – Ger), GREGORY VAN DER WIEL (Ajax Amsterdam)

mf — RAFAEL VAN DER VAART (Tottenham Hotspur – Eng), MARK VAN BOMMEL (Bayern Munich – Ger)

mf — IBRAHIM AFELLAY (PSV Eindhoven), WESLEY SNEIJDER (Inter Milan – Ita), DIRK KUYT (FC Liverpool – Eng)

fw — KLAUS-JAN HUNTELAAR (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen – Ger)

substitutes
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fw — JEREMAIN LENS (PSV Eindhoven) for Kuyt — 29th min
mf — WOUT BRAMA (FC Twente Enschede) for van Bommel — 71st min
fw — RUUD VAN NISTELROOY (SV Hamburg – Ger) for Huntelaar — 84th min

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SWEDEN
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gk — ANDREAS ISAKSSON (PSV Eindhoven – Hol)

df — BEHRANG SAFARI (FC Basel – Switz), DANIEL MAJSTOROVIC (Glasgow Celtic – Sct), ANDREAS GRANQVIST (FC Groningen – Hol), MIKAEL LUSTIG (BK Rosenborg Trondheim – Nor)

mf — JOHAN ELMANDER (Bolton Wanderers – Eng), ANDERS SVENSSON (IF Elfsborg), PONTUS WERNBLOOM (AZ 67 Alkmaar – Hol), SEBASTIAN LARSSON (Birmingham City – Eng)

fw — ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (AC Milan – Ita), OLA TOIVONEN (PSV Eindhoven – Hol)

substitutes
——————
df — OSCAR WENDT (FC Copenhagen – Den) for Safari — 46th min
mf — KIM KALLSTROM (Olympique Lyon – Fra) for Wernbloom — 53rd min
fw — MARCUS BERG (PSV Eindhoven – Hol) for Toivonen — 79th min

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Holland World Cup goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG (1) easily handles the shot from Sweden striker OLA TOIVONEN of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven at the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands. (Jerry Lampen/Reuters)
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Huntelaar Hits Lone Goal, Holland Have Moldova

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Holland midfielder RAFAEL VAN DER VAART (8) of English side Tottenham Hotspur tries to control the ball in front of Moldova substitute midfielder VALERIU ANDRONIC (9) of Kazakhstan club FC Lokomotiv Astana at the Stadionul Republican in Chisinau. (Reuters photo)
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European Championships Qualifying
October 8, 2010

0 – MOLDOVA
1 – NETHERLANDS ——— Huntelaar 37′

World Cup striker KLAUS-JAN HUNTELAAR of German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen scored the only goal of the game not so long before the end of the first half as the NETHERLANDS made heavy weather of its trip to MOLDOVA but still claimed a 1-0 win in the Group E qualification match for the European Championships.

This on the heels of the rough-housing controversy involving Manchester City’s NIGEL DE JONG, who was dropped by Holland manager BERT VAN MARWIJK from the national team for the Moldova match in the wake of the World Cup midfielder’s crunching tackle against Newcastle United’s France international forward HATEM BEN ARFA in the English Premier League last weekend.

Holland had far more of the possession but were caught on the counter frequently by Moldova and needed a number of saves from goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG of Ajax Amsterdam to register the shutout and preserve the victory.

Huntelaar scored in his third consecutive European Championships qualifier for Holland having totaled six goals in that span; the 27-year-old striker, in the midst of a five-game goal-scoring streak for Schalke in the Bundesliga, now totals 22 goals in 39 games for Holland.

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NETHERLANDS
============

gk — MAARTEN STEKELENBURG (Ajax Amsterdam)

df — JOHN HEITINGA (FC Everton – Eng), JORIS MATHIJSEN (SV Hamburg – Ger), ERIK PIETERS (PSV Eindhoven), GREGORY VAN DER WIEL (Ajax Amsterdam)

mf — RAFAEL VAN DER VAART (Tottenham Hotspur – Eng), MARK VAN BOMMEL (Bayern Munich – Ger), WESLEY SNEIJDER (Inter Milan – Ita), IBRAHIM AFELLAY (PSV Eindhoven)

fw — KLAUS-JAN HUNTELAAR (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen), DIRK KUYT (FC Liverpool – Eng)

substitutes
——————
mf — URBY EMANUELSON (Ajax Amsterdam) for Afellay — 90th min

Huntelaar Double As Dutch Defeat Finland

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Dutch defender JOHN HEITINGA (3) of English Premier League side FC Everton has a look as Holland goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG of Ajax Amsterdam gets down to stop the shot from Finland striker MIKAEL FORSSEL (9) of German club Hannover 96 at the Feijenoord Stadion, better known as de Kuip (the Tub), in Rotterdam. (Reuters photo)
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European Championships
September 7, 2010

2 – NETHERLANDS ——— Huntelaar 7′, pen 17′
1 – FINLAND ——————– Forssell 19′

A pair of early goals from World Cup striker KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR seemed to signal the start of a rout but, in the end, was really just enough to see HOLLAND safely past visiting FINLAND 2-1 in the Group E qualification match for the 2012 European Championships.

Huntelaar, the pricey, late summer acquisition of German side Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen, has now scored five goals in the two Euro 2012 qualifiers for Holland and, overall, 21 goals in 38 international games.

Shortly after falling behind a pair, Finland pulled a goal back when striker MIKAEL FORSSELL of German club SV Hannover 96 headed home the corner kick of defender PETRI PASANEN, who also plays his professional football in the Bundesliga, with SV Werder Bremen.

Finland fielded four players in the starting XI who ply their trade in the Netherlands’ top flight and might have had a share of the points, but the late header of midfielder TIM SPARV, a member of Dutch Eredivisie side FC Groningen, was saved by Dutch World Cup goalkeeper MAARTEN STEKELENBURG of Ajax Amsterdam.

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NETHERLANDS
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gk — MAARTEN STEKELENBURG (Ajax Amsterdam)

df — JOHN HEITINGA (FC Everton – Eng), JORIS MATHIJSEN (SV Hamburg – Ger), GREGORY VAN DER WIEL (Ajax Amsterdam)

dmf — MARK VAN BOMMEL (Bayern Munich – Ger), NIGEL DE JONG (Manchester City – Eng)

amf — RAFAEL VAN DER WAART (Tottenham Hotspur – Eng), WESLEY SNEIJDER (Inter Milan – Ita), IBRAHIM AFELLAY (PSV Eindhoven), VURNON ANITA (Ajax Amsterdam)

fw — KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen – Ger)

substitutes
——————
mf — ELJERO ELIA (SV Hamburg – Ger) for van der Waart — 64th min
mf — JEREMAIN LENS (PSV Eindhoven) for Afellay — 74th min
fw — RUUD VAN NISTELROOY (SV Hamburg – Ger) for Huntelaar — 82nd min

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FINLAND
—————-

gk — OTTO FREDRIKSON (PFC Spartak Nalchik – Rus)

df — PETRI PASANEN (SV Werder Bremen – Ger), MARKUS HEIKKINEN (SK Rapid Vienna – Aut), NIKLAS MOISANDER (AZ 67 Alkmaar – Hol), VELI LAMPI (Willem II Tilburg – Hol)

mf – MIKA VAYRYNEN (SC Heerenveen – Hol), TIM SPARV (FC Groningen – Hol), ROMAN EREMENKO (Dynamo Kiev – Ukr), KASPER HAMALAINEN (IF Djurgarden Stockholm – Swe)

fw – MIKAEL FORSSELL (SV Hannover 96 – Ger), DANIEL SJOLUND (IF Djurgarden Stockholm – Swe)

substitutes
——————
mf — RONI POROKARA (SK Orebro – Swe) for Hamalainen — 46th min
fw — JONATAN JOHANSSON (TPS Turku) for Sjolund — 68th min
mf — ALEXEI EREMENKO (FC Kilmarnock – Sct) for Forssell — 80th min

Huntelaar Hat Trick, Holland Hammer San Marino

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Holland striker KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR (9) of German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen taps the ball squared by the not-pictured FC Liverpool winger DIRK KUYT past San Marino goalkeeper ALDO SIMONCINI (1) of Italian fourth division side AC Bellaria Agea Marina for the first of his three goals at the Stadio Olimpico Serravalle in the tiny Appennine Mountain region state of San Marino. (Reuters photo)
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European Championships Qualifying
September 3, 2010

0 – SAN MARINO
5 – NETHERLANDS ——— Kuyt pen 16′, Huntelaar 37′, 47′, 66′, van Nistelrooy 90′

A hat trick from Dutch World Cup striker KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR helped visiting HOLLAND hammer SAN MARINO 5-0 in the Group E qualification match for the 2012 European Championships.

Huntelaar, sold by Italian Serie A club AC Milan to German Bundesliga side Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen for 13.0 million Euros at the transfer deadline, notched his three goals for the Netherlands against San Marino inside of thirty minutes in the middle part of the match; in doing so, the 27-year-old pushed his international totals to 19 goals in 37 games for Holland.

World Cup attacker DIRK KUYT of English Premier League outfit FC Liverpool opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 16th minute after Huntelaar had been fouled in the area; the 30-year-old former Feyenoord Rotterdam forward collected both his 17th goal and 71st cap for Holland and laid on two of Huntelaar’s goals against San Marino.

World Cup midfielder RAFAEL VAN DER WAART (84 caps, 16 goals), a late addition by English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur from Spanish giant Real Madrid at the transfer deadline, came on as a second half substitute and handed out two assists, as well, for the Netherlands.

Another second half substitute, aging RUUD VAN NISTELROOY of Germany’s SV Hamburg, marked his return to international football since the 2008 European Championships final tournament with a fine goal for Holland in the 90th minute; the 34-year-old striker volleyed a long cross from his former La Liga teammate Van der Waart to net a 34th goal for the Netherlands on his 65th appearance.

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NETHERLANDS
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gk — MAARTEN STEKELENBURG (Ajax Amsterdam)

df — ERIK PIETERS (PSV Eindhoven), JORIS MATHIJSEN (SV Hamburg – Ger), HEDWIGES MADURO (CF Valencia – Spa), GREGORY VAN DER WIEL (Ajax Amsterdam)

dmf – MARK VAN BOMMEL (Bayern Munich – Ger), NIGEL DE JONG (Manchester City – Eng)

amf – ELJERO ELIJA (SV Hamburg), WESLEY SNEIJDER (Inter Milan – Ita), DIRK KUYT (Liverpool – Eng)

fw – KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR (Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen – Ger)

substitutes
—————–
mf – RAFAEL VAN DER WAART (Tottenham Hotspur – Eng) for De Jong — 46th min
mf – IBRAHIM AFELLAY (PSV Eindhoven) for Elija — 60th min
fw – RUUD VAN NISTELROOY (SV Hamburg – Ger) for Kuyt — 68th min