WC Group C: The Netherlands vs Serbia and Montenegro[P+R]

[RUSI]

EDIT: Sorry, RUSI... what was bad about the ref??? Neither side can have complaints, he eliminated any unnecessary force from creeping into the game and was pretty much spot on every time

Awful was a bad word to use, i don't know. I thought he missed a few calls for the dutch. He also came off a bit arogant. Maybe I was focused too much on him. I don't know. I guess I should have said the ref could have done better, my bad.

 

[fender]

Good win for the Netherlands, second half wasn't as good as the first but i'm confident the team will build on this and get better.

 

[Fernandez]

The ref was probably the best we've seen so far.

 

[Luis Ah-Hoy]

I don't understand how can someone complain about this referee... he did very well...

 

[Zlatan]

Good win for us and very useful aswell. Not very spectacular I agree but that's understandable with this extreme heat. 3 points are in and that's all that matters to me now.

Referee bad? I think it was one of the best referee performances so far in the tournament and one of the best in the rest of the tournament aswell I think.

 

[ladylover]

We kept the tempo low, because the serves are very dangerous with their counter-attacks, it was difficult to do it again in the second half, but we got through,

 

[faceNside]

No,no go Roger!! Go Ljubičić

About the match, imo Netherlands won because of Robben, he was de decisive factor.

 

[WilliamFAlmeida]

highlights?

 

[rpvankasteren]

Official low res FIFA highlights, without commentary.

 

[faceNside]

It seems some Serbia players are criticizing their own coach for playing too defensively

 

[Silencer]

Well Kezman was certainly pissed :chew:
But what else is new, he was subbed and that doesn't sit too well with him.

 

[newbie original]

Liked the game. It was all about Arjen Robben. The Serbs just don't have that creative spark in their midfield. They have no problem in playing an Anti Joga Bonito style and that's well and good when your toughest group opponent is (with all due respect) Spain. That Koroman fellow looked dangerous but, being a substitute, missed about 35 minutes. The Dutch had threatening runs down both the right and left with Van Persie and Robben. Robben was very confident all game long and it seemd that it was simply his fragile frame that allowed the Serbian defenders to occasionally stop him. I can't see Serbia challenging in this group...even the Ivory Coast might beat them! As for Kezman, he did very little in the playing time he was given but, since he is probably their most high profile player, he should have been given a full 90 minutes. That 6'8 character barely got off one half decent header!

 

[El Diablo Rojo]

Interesting performance of Robben, the rest of the team didn't play that good, but it was enough to get the 3 points. Dissapointing Stankovic i was expecting a lot from him. I still hold that this dutch victory will be benefitial for us when we play against Serbia & Motenegro.

I heard that Van Persie said something among the lines "Robben should be more of a team-player". I guess he didn't really like Robben being a bit selfish.

 

[newbie original]

There weren't too many occasions on which balls were played down the right, which is where Van Persie (yeah I know that's weird because he's left-footed) spend most of the game. I thought that Van Bommel (defensive or not) and Cocu were invisible.

 

[NapoleoN]

It seems some Serbia players are criticizing their own coach for playing too defensively

Yes, Ognjen Koroman said that he should play from begining, and he is right. Also Zigic and Ljuboja should start the match, Milosevic is too old and Kezman is totally out of form. Vidic is coming back, so we will stay at 1 goal against after next 2 group games, everything depends on attack.
Not some special performance by Holland neither, they'll have to do much more to make good results against CIV and ARG.

Napred Srbija!

 

[rpvankasteren]

In this kind of weather (35 C and very humid in the sunny parts of the stadium) we are utterly useless. We lucked out as so were you guys.

 

[Silencer]

Agreed we can do better and we will be better, Holland always grows each game in every tournament. Van Basten said this afternoon that the grow has begun now and he is confident we can do better in the upcoming games starting against CIV. To Serbia I wish them all the luck, they were unlucky against us but I was impressed with the willpower and attacking, I think they will make it very hard for Argentina and if I were the coach.. leave Kezza on the pitch. Good luck!

Thank god our next game will be played in the evening cause it was a bloody oven out there, I heard Robben speak of 'sahara'.

 

[NGAFOOTBALLKING]

Finally a ref who has the guts to card a player who asks for a card (Figo be ware)

THANK THE LORD!
All teams that play african teams should have this ref, because it seems like everyone is getting "murdered" by african teams and want to beg for cards and surround the ref and force him into carding players.

 

[Callum]

african teams are getting shafted big team if you ask me.

 

[mnj2x]

defensively we are good but going forward we need more firepower...robeen was running the show by himself... Ruud, van persie, sneijder all had bad games and need to get more involved. Overall not 2 bad.... bring on the Drog & co