The Dutch squad has become the team to beat in Euro 2008, starting with their unexpected win over Italy and continuing with their 4–1 defeat of France.
Netherlands, coming off their surprising 3–0 defeat of Italy, came into their match with France in high spirits.
France, having failed to score in their first-round tie with Romania, had to show that they had the talent and focus to stay in the championship.
The game started out physical and forceful, with hard tackles and more than few stoppages for fouls. Referees have been calling more grabbing and pushing fouls as the series progresses, as play was getting a bit out of hand.
The Netherlands showed excellent ball control and admirable patience. It payed off as they scored at the nine-minute mark. Dutch players flooded the French penalty area, unsettling the French defense.
French forward Florent Malouda grabbed Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt in a bearhug to try to control him, but Kuyt was able to twist in Malouda's grip and drive a short header into the French net.
The Dutch team dominated the half with precision passing, while the French seemed unable to mount a sustained offense.
With ten minutes left in the half, France seemed to ignite, sending a series of balls on the Dutch net, but Dutch keeper Edwin van der Saar held firm.
Second Half—Enough Excitement for a Whole Game
France pushed hard from the start of the second half, earning numerous solid scoring opportunities, but van der Saar rejected every try.
The Dutch team seemed unwilling to play conservatively; they kept pushing ahead, even if it left them soft on defense.
The Dutch aggressiveness paid of at the 58-minute mark, when Ruud van Nistlerooy made a great backwards kick to get the ball ahead to forward Arjen Robben. Robben drove down the left side of the penalty area, and at the last moment fired a pass across the front of the net to forward Robin van Persie.
Van Persie kicked a low hard shot right at French goalkeeper Grégory Coupet, but the ball bounced off Coupet's left hand and dribbled into the net, putting Netherlands up 2–nil.
France continued to press, and at 70 minutes French defender Willy Sanjol laid a perfect lead pass to forward Thierry Henry, who had broken past his defender, for a point-blank shot into the Netherlands net.
France was back in the game, it seemed, but only for forty-five seconds.
Immediately the Dutch drove back the length of the field, and Arjen Robben took a long lead pass into the left side of the penalty area. Robben maneuvered around two defenders to drive a shot at an extreme, seemingly impossible angle, to squeeze the ball between the post and the outstretched hands of Coupet.
At 86 minutes France got a free kick just outside of the penalty box, but forward Franck Ribéry just missed the top of the goal.
France seemed unfazed; they kept the pressure on, kept making and taking chances. However, the French attackers couldn't seem to coordinate quite well enough to get a goal.
Finally in stoppage time, with only half a minute left in the match, Dutch Midfielder Wesly Sneijder made a beautiful spinning escape from his defender and blasted a shot past the keeper, to score a fourth Netherlands goal.
With this victory, Netherlands won Euro 2008 Group C, the toughest of the groups, while France and Italy now have to face of in an elimination match.
Euro 2008 Soccer
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