Reigning champions humiliated as Robin van Persie inspires Dutch to 5-1 thrashing in Salvador
Just like the last time, Spain were on the end of a display of Dutch brutality, but Total Football replaced total thuggery as Louis van Gaal’s team humiliated the world champions in Salvador.
Vicente del Bosque described Holland’s treatment of his Spain players as ‘brutal’ during the 2010 World Cup final, but Dutch goals replaced fouls on this occasion.
Manchester United may have to wait longer than they expected before Van Gaal begins work at Old Trafford.
Having masterminded a 5-1 victory over the world champions in this World Cup Group B opener, Van Gaal will fancy his chances of taking Holland all the way to the final on July 13 after Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben both scored twice in a dazzling performance.
Spain were lackluster, with age appearing to have caught up with Del Bosque’s team, and they must now beat Chile in their next game to avoid a group stage elimination in Brazil.
With the two teams meeting for the first time since the Battle of Johannesburg in 2010 – Spain were hardly likely to accept any invitation to contest a ‘friendly’ against the Dutch after being kicked off the pitch in Soccer City – Van Gaal had gone into this game by defending the belligerent approach of Bert van Marwijk’s team four years ago.
Van Gaal’s insistence that the physical challenge of any football encounter was as important as the technique and skill of the players involved had its merits, but it also hinted at Holland’s readiness to apply similar methods against the world champions in Salvador, if not apply them quite so brutally.
But nonetheless, the Dutch were quick to lay down their marker, with Ron Vlaar conceding the first foul of the game with a foul on Diego Costa just 18 seconds after kick-off.
Nigel de Jong proceeded to plunge an elbow into the ribs of Sergio Busquets and Wesley Sneijder clipped the Barcelona midfielder from behind as the Dutch served early notice of their determination to test Spain physically.
The tactic did little to put Del Bosque’s players off their stride, however, and it was left to Holland’s more eye-catching qualities to find the first chink in Spain’s armour in the first-half.
With eight minutes on the clock, Robben’s sublime defence-splitting pass found Sneijder 25 yards from goal after full-back Jordi Alba had played the midfielder onside. But as the Galatasaray player bore down on Iker Casillas, the Spain goalkeeper cut an imposing figure and produced a crucial save with his right hand to deny Sneijder an opening goal for the Dutch.
It was a bad miss and Spain gradually began to apply pressure in an effort to punish their opponents for their wastefulness.
With Costa offering pace, movement and physical presence up front, Spain were able to threaten Holland’s three-man defence with an array of passes to the Atletico Madrid forward, who was playing to the backdrop of boos, jeers and derogatory chants from the Brazilian supporters inside the Arena Fonte Nova.
Costa’s decision to pledge his allegiance to Spain, less than twelve months after making the first of two friendly appearances for Brazil, clearly rankled with the natives and his every touch drew a cacophony of abuse from the crowd.
But after allowing Vlaar to produce a block to deny him an early strike on goal, Costa delivered for Spain on 26 minutes when he drew a foul from Stefan de Vrij to earn a penalty.
Costa certainly made the most of the Feyenoord defender’s sliding challenge, but he did enough to convince referee Nicola Rizzoli to point to the spot and Xabi Alonso stepped up to beat goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from 12 yards.
Having lost to Switzerland in Durban in their World Cup opener four years ago, Spain were certainly making a better start to the defence of their crown.
And they should have doubled their lead before half-time when David Silva, moments after being body-checked by De Vrij, chipped over the crossbar after being released by Andres Iniesta.
It proved a costly miss, however, with Van Persie hauling the Dutch level in the final minute of the first-half with an incredible diving header.
Daley Blind’s raking pass from the halfway line appeared ambitious, but Van Persie threw himself at the ball and was able to direct a looping header over Casillas from 15 yards.
It was a goal worthy of a wild celebration and Van Persie wheeled away and sprinted to Van Gaal before high-fiving the coach on the touchline.
Van Persie’s goal injected the Dutch with the belief that they could avenge their World Cup final defeat of four years ago and they emerged in the second-half clearly the hungrier team.
Robben, Blind and Sneijder tormented the Spanish defence and Van Persie’s movement proved too much for the static and slow Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos at the heart of Spain’s back four.
Xavi and Iniesta could not retain the ball and Busquets was nullified by De Jong and Jonathan Guzman and it took the Dutch just eight minutes of the second-half before they were rewarded for their dominance when Robben made it 2-1.
Blind, a gem of a player down the left, sent over another stunning pass, and Robben danced around Pique before shooting past Casillas.
De Vrij added a controversial third when he headed in at the far post, following Van Persie’s heavy challenge on Casillas, before the United striker made it four by pouncing on a mistake by the shell-shocked goalkeeper.
Spain, now humiliated, then suffered a killer blow when Robben danced around Casillas to make it 5-1 on 79 minutes.
Game over, perhaps an era over for Spain, who now face a battle merely to stay in the competition.
t-siT�140�9 p� height: 1.48em; color: rgb(40, 40, 40); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);”>De Vrij added a controversial third when he headed in at the far post, following Van Persie’s heavy challenge on Casillas, before the United striker made it four by pouncing on a mistake by the shell-shocked goalkeeper.
Spain, now humiliated, then suffered a killer blow when Robben danced around Casillas to make it 5-1 on 79 minutes.
Game over, perhaps an era over for Spain, who now face a battle merely to stay in the competition.
