Netherlands vs Brazil - Preview

Netherlands
v
Brazil




14:00 GMT, July 2, 2010
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Brazil and Netherlands supplied the great World Cup teams of the 70s but, while Brazil clinched their third world title at the start of the decade, Netherlands had to settle for two runners-up spots in the tournaments that followed.

Even with Pele, Garrincha, Jairzinho and co long gone, Brazil have since added two more World Cups to their collection, but the Dutch have not since played in a final.

If Bert van Marwijk's side are to finally end their wait for the trophy, they must overcome Dunga's Brazil, a side marrying skill with hard work and who look justified as the favourites.

Competition Stats

	Netherlands	Brazil
Goals	Wesley Sneijder 2	Luis Fabiano 3
Assists	Wesley Sneijder 1
Yellows	Dirk Kuyt 1	Ramires 2
Reds		Kaká 1

Netherlands player to watch: Wesley Sneijder. The creative heart of the Dutch team, Sneijder has shown exceptional craft and vision in supplying Arjen Robben in the last two matches. He enjoyed a hugely successful campaign at club level and he appears desperate to prove a point following his release from Real Madrid last summer.

Brazil player to watch: Robinho. Having been selected in a weakened Manchester City side against Scunthorpe at Glanford Park in January, few could have predicted Robinho's turnaround in fortunes. A loan spell at Santos provided him with regular football and restored his confidence, and he is again starting to look like the player who cost £32.5 million two years ago. His man-of-the-match performance against Chile was no flash in the pan, and he is likely to test the Dutch defence to its limits.

Key battle: Arjen Robben v Michel Bastos. Robben had looked extremely doubtful for the finals after suffering a hamstring injury in a warm-up game, but he was superb when he returned in the final group game against Cameroon and continued to shine against Slovakia. Against Michel Bastos, who plays as an attacking midfielder for Lyon, he will be confident of getting in behind the defence and causing endless problems.

Trivia: Falcons are used at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to keep pigeons and small animals away.

Stats: Netherlands and Brazil have met three times in the World Cup, with one win apiece and one draw.

Odds: Netherlands (4.00), the draw (3.30) and Brazil (2.00) with Bet365. A 1-0 win for Netherlands will give you odds of 10.00.

Prediction: While Netherlands look very capable of scoring goals, their defence is a concern and Dunga's Brazil tend to be at their best when soaking up pressure and breaking quickly. While it should be a hard-fought contest, Brazil look by far the most likely to progress.

Red hot Spain overcome Portugal challenge

6:30 PM GMT, June 29, 2010
Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa


Spain
1 - 0
Portugal

Spain's crusade to add the World Cup trophy to their Euro 2008 title continued with a closely-fought second round win over Iberian neighbours Portugal.

Vicente Del Bosque's side dominated on the ball as usual but were frustrated for long periods by Portugal, who had decent chances of their own at Cape Town's Green Point Stadium.

Ultimately Spain's patience paid off, however, as David Villa's 63rd-minute goal secured victory exactly two years to the day since their European triumph in Austria.

They will now fancy themselves in a quarter-final clash with modest South Americans Paraguay while Portugal - who had Ricardo Costa dismissed in the final minute - face a disappointing trip home.

Scoring Summary

Spain	Portugal
David Villa (63')

Match Stats

Spain

Portugal

19(10)	Shots (on Goal)	9(3)
13	Fouls	18
6	Corner Kicks	3
0	Offsides	3
61%	Time of Possession	39%
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	1
3	Saves	9

Match Information

Stadium:	Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa
Attendance:
Match Time:	18:30 GMT
Official(s):	Héctor Baldassi

Man of the Match: David Villa

MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: David Villa - In a game where Spain were again unable to quite hit the heights they are capable of, they required another goal from their predatory forward who claimed his fourth of the tournament to settle this second-round tie and move level with Robert Vittek and Gonzalo Higuain at the top of the goalscoring charts. Villa was a constant menace, as ever, and continues to demonstrate why he is the most feared striker in South Africa.

Spain verdict: Vicente del Bosque's side did not have to be at their best to progress on Tuesday night but in Villa they have a striker capable of settling any game. Midfield conductors Xavi and Andres Iniesta still have room for improvement, though the former's backheel to assist Villa was sublime, and the suspicion remains that Spain still have more in reserve. As they approach a quarter-final with Paraguay, Spain must consider whether dropping Torres will help bring the best out of the reigning European champions.

Portugal verdict: Outside of a 7-0 hammering of North Korea, Portugal did not score a goal in this World Cup and that is a damning statistic. Carlos Queiroz may have promised to attack Spain prior to kick-off but a performance full of endeavour did not materialise and Portugal's malaise was embodied by the frustrated figure of Ronaldo, who did little to justify his lofty reputation. Queiroz's side struggled with their shape in the latter stages and depart the World Cup full of regret having proved less than the sum of their talented parts.

Could do better: Fernando Torres - While his team-mate Villa moved to the top of the World Cup goalscoring charts with his fourth of the tournament, El Nino once again looked a little boy lost. His struggles at this World Cup are of real concern, and having not scored in qualifying he once again lived up to the tag of 'Spain's Emile Heskey' given him by the Guardian's Sid Lowe. Who would have thought Torres would fulfil the role of non-scoring striker, and a troubled one at that?

Stat attack: Xabi Alonso was the first Spanish player to be booked at this year's World Cup finals.