NETHERLANDS 2-1 BRAZIL, Port Elizabeth, 02/07/10
Sneijder 53, 68; Robinho 10

The Netherlands mounted a stunning second-half comeback, as they defended their UFWC title and booked a place in the World Cup Semi Finals, sending one of the tournament favourites crashing out.

The first half belonged to Brazil, as they looked like world-beaters for the majority of the 45 minutes. And it looked like they could wind up winners by a good margin, as they got the ball in the net twice in the first 10 minutes. Even though the first one was ruled out for offside, the second one most definately was not. A magnificent pass from Felipe Melo from half way found the run of Robinho, who latched onto the ball and hit it to the left of the Dutch goalkeeper, giving the Brazilians a dominant start.

This goal was shortly followed by a decent effort from Dirk Kuyt for the Netherlands, but for the most part the champions failed to get into the match, as the Brazilian defence stood firm and smothered out any attacks as they came. Brazil could easily have doubled their lead in the 25th minute, as a cross in from Daniel Alves found Juan in the box, but under pressure from the defence he could only hit the ball over. And Kaka had his own chance of a goal after 30 minutes, as he curled a shot towards the top corner, only for a save from Maarten Stekelenburg to deny him.

The Netherlands’ first half performance was summed up by their attempted ‘sneaky touch’ corner which failed miserably, as they seemed to lack any fresh ideas, with even Arjen Robben struggling to get past the defence.

However a moment of luck for the Dutch early in the second half was enough for them to spark an incredible revival. A cross in from Wesley Sneijder from a free kick had the Brazilian defenders confused, and while Julio Cesar missed the ball, it found Felipe Melo who headed the ball into his own net (a goal which would later be awarded to Sneijder), giving the Netherlands a free pass back into the match. And they were more than happy to take advantge of it, as they stepped it up a gear against a visibly shaken Brazil. And after some decent chances, they eventualy took the lead. A corner, taken by Robben, found an unmarked Dirk Kuyt at the front of the box, who flicked it back into the mass of bodies, where Wesley Sneijder was on hand to head the ball passed Cesar to the delight of the Dutch fans.

But things were about to get worse for Brazil. In a moment of madness Felipe Melo stamped on Arjen Robben after fouling him, forcing the referee to give him a straight red card, making Brazil’s almost impossible mission even harder. But neither side took their foot off the pedal, as both sides went in search of another goal to help their cause. However even though they had the lead it was the Netherlands who looked most likely to score, as Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Kuyt both had golden chances of putting Brazil out of their misery, but failed to convert.

The result comes as a major surprise as Brazil, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were also favourites to overthrow the Netherlands as UFWC champions. It also means that this incredible reign by the Netherlands is now the joint-longest in terms of title defences, a record which they will break if they make it to the World Cup Final.

Their next UFWC title match will be against the winners of the Quarter Final match between Uruguay and Ghana, on July 6th.

Match Reports brazil, Netherlands

NETHERLANDS vs BRAZIL, Port Elizabeth, 02/07/10

Enjoying the World Cup, are you? Maybe not if you’re a fan of England (or France, or Italy…), but, after a bit of a lacklustre start, South Africa 2010 is turning into something of a football feast. And Friday’s WC quarter final / UFWC title match looks set to be one of the highlights of the tournament.

Few tipsters were heard to name the Netherlands as potential winners before the World Cup began, but regular followers of the UFWC will not have been surprised to have seen the Dutch continue their incredible unbeaten run (23 games) and win all four WC matches. Built around a solid defence, the Dutch side also has the attacking guile to harm any opposition. Ranked fourth in the world by both the UFWC and FIFA, the Netherlands, some say Holland, are an impressive side.

The Netherland’s brilliant orange shirts have always illuminated football, and against Slovakia on Monday they put out a team that lined up wearing shirts numbered one to eleven – a fantastic footballing sight that harked back to the nation’s heady days of the 70s. (Read what happened when the Netherlands met Brazil at the 74 World Cup here.) It remains to be seen whether the Netherlands and Brazil will play in orange and yellow, with the likelihood being that a clash of colours will force a change. A shame.

Amazingly, Brazil haven’t been involved in the UFWC competition since 1998 – and their last victory was against the Netherlands. That was in the World Cup semi final, when the Brazilians beat the Dutch on penalties after a 1-1 draw. But the tournament ended in agony for Brazil – hosts France won the final 3-0 to take both the World Cup and the UFWC title.

The Brazilians are currently on a ten-match unbeaten run, and are ranked number one by FIFA (and sixth by the UFWC). They won their first two group games, then drew 0-0 with Portugal, before seeing off Chile 3-0 in the round of 16. They’ve not yet settled into the samba style that has delighted in previous tournaments, but they seem to be improving with each game, and may go into this one as slight favourites.

There are plenty of star players to keep your eyes on, including Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder for the Dutch and Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano for the Brazilians. The Netherlands and Brazil have scored seven and eight goals respectively during this WC, and have both conceded two. It’s going to be tight, but one thing is for sure – this is going to be one of the most fascinating and hotly-anticipated UFWC matches in recent history.

The winners will play Uruguay or Ghana in the semi final, and must fancy their chances of reaching the final. So get the beer and snacks in and plump up the cushions for Netherlands vs Brazil – a huge UFWC/WC clash that I, for one, am not going to attempt to predict the outcome of. Enjoy.

Why not watch the game in an official UFWC T-shirt – including exclusive Netherlands and Hughie the mascot shirts? Check out the UFWC T-shirt store.

Match Previews brazil, Netherlands

NETHERLANDS 2-1 SLOVAKIA, Durban, 28/06/10
Robben 18, Sneijder 84; Vittek 90+4 (pen)

The Netherlands bided their time before doing enough to dispose of Slovakia, and potentially set up a Quarter-Final clash with Brazil.

Slovakia started the game brightly, with Erik Jendrisek firing just over the bar only 66 seconds into the game. However it was one of Slovakia’s only good chances of the half, as the Netherlands’ tactics consisted of holding the ball and patiently waiting to break down the defence, while snuffing out any infrequent Slovakian attempts.

Although it was a tactic that was not very exciting for the neutral, it proved effective in the 18th minute when the Netherlands took the lead. Arjen Robben, starting his first game since picking up an injury against Hungary over three weeks ago, was on the end of a long ball from midfield, cut inside two defenders and fired the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box, giving the Netherlands a great advantage: in each of the Last 16 matches at this World Cup so far, the team that scored first has ended up going through to the Quarter Finals.

Despite both teams’ efforts to score there were very few decent efforts on goal from either team in the first 45 minutes, as both teams went in at half-time knowing that the result was far from set in stone.

Both teams started the second half much better with Robben nearly scoring again from a nearly identical position, and Robert Vittek trying to pull one back for Slovakia. But it was the Netherlands who should have scored next, as a shot from 8 yards away was blocked by the face of Slovakian goalkeeper Jan Mucha. And the Dutch goalkeeper, Martan Stekelenburg, wasn’t having an easy time either. In the 67th minute a Miroslav Stoch effort was aimed full speed towards for the roof of the net, only for Stekelenburg to tip it over, followed shortly by another great save, this time from a Vittek shot from the edge of the box.

But despite all of Slovakia’s chances to equalize they couldn’t get the ball in the net, and they paid for it in the 84th minute. Martin Skrtel conceded a free kick on the half-way line, which was taken quickly and hit forward for Dirk Kuyt. Mucha misjudged the pass and found himself in no man’s land when it found Kuyt, who laid it off to Wesley Sneijder to fire into an empty net, and ensure a Dutch victory.

However Slovakia had the chance to score a consolation goal in extra time when Stekelenburg was judged to have brought Martin Jakubko in the box, which he received a yellow card for. Vittek stood up to take the penalty and converted it confidentally, his shot on goal being the last kick of the game.

The Netherlands are now one more victory away from equaling the all-time record for consecutive UFWC title defences, curently held by Scotland with 20. Their next title match will be on July 2nd, where they will face either Brazil or Chile in the World Cup Quarter Finals.

Match Reports Netherlands, Slovakia

NETHERLANDS vs SLOVAKIA, Durban, 28/06/10

The Netherlands have traversed some tough challenges in their reign as UFWC champions, but they could face one of their stiffest opponents yet when they face Slovakia in the first knockout round of the World Cup.

The Slovakians, having just claimed one of the countries most famous victories by beating the reigning FIFA World Cup champions Italy 3-2, eliminating them in the process, will be keen to keep their fairytale on course. They qualified for the World Cup as winners of their group, showing they they are no slouches. They also have the great resource that is Robert Vittek, who is currently the joint-top goalscorer in the World Cup with three goals, so there is reason to suggest that they should be shorter odds to win the UFWC and advance to the quarter finals then they are now: they are 7/2 to achieve such a defeat, while the Netherlands are only 1/6. This match will also mark Slovakia’s first UFWC match as an independant nation, following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, have advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a 100% record, and having only conceded one goal: a penalty. So far they have proven why they are UFWC champions, and they will also be hoping to add the FIFA World Cup to their trophy cabinet at the end of the tournament. They will be boosted by Arjen Robben’s run out against Cameroon, and the fact that they were able to rest key players like Robin Van Persie for this match, while Slovakia were forced into a full 90 minutes of gruelling action against Italy.

Whoever leaves this match as UFWC champions to advance into the quarter finals, there will be a guaranteed title unification at the end of the tournament in the final, and one of these teams can take a big step to achieving that goal with victory in Durban.

Match Previews Netherlands, Slovakia