EC QUALIFICATION：NETHERLANDS vs LATVIA November 17, 2014 01:00 Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Referee: L. Liany LIVE COMMENTARY - Thanks for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed the action. Farewell until next time. - The referee puts Latvia out of their misery, with the Netherlands romping to a crushing 6-0 win at the Amsterdam Arena. Goals from Van Persie, Bruma, Huntelaar (x2) and Robben (x2) did the damage, but it was the performance from the latter which really lit up the stadium. The Bayern star was absolutely ruthless, terrorising Latvia throughout and deserved his two goals. Hiddink can keep his resignation letter in his pocket for now, as his men made a real statement. 90 + 2 FULL-TIME! 90 + 1 There will be two minutes added on here. 89 Assist Jordy Clasie 89 Goal Klaas-Jan Huntelaar GOAL!!! ITS SIX! Clasie shows excellent vision to play Huntelaar into the edge of the area and the forward, after a perfect first touch, spins and unleashes a powerful low finish beyond the helpless Kolinko. 86 KOLINKO DENIES A SIXTH! Huntelaar shows admirable composure to bring down a right-wing cross with his chest inside the area, before unleashing a volley towards the far side of the goal. The goalkeeper palms the ball away in acrobatic fashion, though. Good stop. 84 The Netherlands can sniff number six here. They look to catch Latvia on the counterattack as Wijnaldum charges away from the hosts penalty area in swift fashion. His cross-field pass to Depay is a little behind the winger, though, and the attack peters out. 82 Assist Georginio Wijnaldum 82 Goal Arjen Robben GOAL!!! ROBBEN GETS ANOTHER! Todays undoubted man-of-the-match picks up possession just outside the area, runs at Kurakins and fires into the bottom-right corner after skipping inside his man. He has been utterly relentless today. 80 And that was, seemingly, Van Persies final involvement. The Man United star has had a good game and is replaced by Wijnaldum. 79 Substitution Robin van Persie Georginio Wijnaldum 78 Assist Robin van Persie 78 Goal Jeffrey Bruma GOAL!!! THERES NUMBER FOUR! Sneijders corner his whipped in towards the near post in powerful fashion and Van Persie flicks it on, with Bruma tapping in an easy finish from close range. 77 Delightful play by Depay, as he jinks his way past a couple of defenders after cutting in from the left. He then slaloms his way into the area and fires straight at the goalkeeper, settling for a corner. 75 Latvia do seem to have come into this contest a little more in an attacking sense. They are seeing a little more of the ball and winning a few more corners. One suspects that says more about the Netherlands willingness to sit off them a little, though. 73 Cauna lofts the ball into the area from the resulting free-kick, and although no-one gets a touch on it, Cillessen doesnt deal with it particularly convincingly, dropping the ball and almost producing a bit of a howler. 72 Thats a bit of a naughty tackle there by De Vrij. The Lazio man cynically tripped Aleks Visnakovs with a Latvian counterattack brewing. This is a decent opportunity for the visitors to get men forward. 71 Yellow Card Stefan de Vrij 71 Latvia respond with a change of their own, as Rudnevs takes the place of Ed Visnakovs. 70 Substitution Eduards Višņakovs Artjoms Rudņevs 69 Substitution Ibrahim Afellay Memphis Depay 69 Here comes the latest Dutch change. Depay, the exciting PSV youngster, comes on for Afellay. 67 ROBBEN GOES CLOSE! The former Real Madrid man has been sensational today and he almost gets his second goal. The 30-year-old runs at Kurakins, forces him back into the area, skips inside and then shoots just wide of the left-hand post. 66 The corner is somewhat wasted, though the Netherlands remain on the front foot. Eventually the ball is worked out to Afellay on the left, but his cross is a little overhit. 64 Van der Wiel has not been particularly prominent today, but he does make an impact in the final third on this occasion. The right-back gets forward and wins a corner from very little. 62 Cauna seems to be in a bit of pain here. The midfielder grabbed hold of Van Persie, practically hugging him as he looked to shield the ball. Its not instantly clear what the problem is, but he looks a little uncomfortable. 60 Robben is at it again. He charges into the penalty area and, after skipping past Kurakins with consummate ease, he squeezes the ball into the danger area. His delivery seems to take a deflection off Huntelaar, and the goalkeeper, who knows little about it, fortuitously keeps the ball out. 58 OFF THE BAR! Robben steps up to take the free-kick, relinquishing Sneijder of his set-piece duties after some fairly poor attempts in the first half. He curls an effort goals and only the crossbar denies him another excellent goal. 57 Yellow Card Oļegs Laizāns 57 Lovely link-up play between Robben and Van Persie. The Bayern star somehow squeezes a pass between two midfielders and quickly receives a return pass, before bursting into the final third. He is tripped by Laizans, though, who goes into the referees book. Free-kick. 56 Latvia make another change as Zjuzin, just a few second after dragging a good opportunity off target, is replaced by Cauna. 55 Substitution Artūrs Zjuzins Aleksandrs Cauna 54 The relaxed, somewhat dour start to the second half is seemingly being summed up rather well by the crowd at the moment; they are currently doing a Mexican wave in the Amsterdam ArenA. 52 The resulting corner is worked short to Sneijder, who lofts a cross into the danger area. De Vrij manages to meet it with his head, but he sends the ball considerably wide. 51 Afellay again makes himself available out of the left flank. Gabovs gets considerably tighter than perhaps he did in the second half and deflects the wingers cross behind. 49 Fairly tame start to the second half so far. The stadium seems a little quieter, while Hiddinks team know they have virtually claimed all three points already. 47 Latvia have made a change at the break, with Ibaunieks being replaced by Laizans. 46 Substitution Jānis Ikaunieks Oļegs Laizāns 46 Off we go for the second half. The referee blows his whistle to end the first half, putting Latvia out of their misery. The hosts may not have been quite at their best, but that was undoubtedly the best half of football they have produced since Hiddink took over. Robben has been the star of the show, head-and-shoulders above the rest, while both Huntelaar and Van Persie look hungry. The coach wont be quitting after this! 45 + 1 HALF-TIME! 45 There will be one minute added on here. 44 Latvia finally test Cillessen in the Netherlands goal as Eduards Visnakov cuts in from the left, beating Van der Wiel and firing at goal. The goalkeeper collects with ease, though. 42 Assist Ibrahim Afellay 42 Goal Klaas-Jan Huntelaar GOAL!!! THERES NUMBER THREE! The Dutch are coasting to victory now as they add a third. Afellay capitalises on Gabovs going down hurt further up the pitch. He exploits the space down the left and picks out a fine low cross in towards the near post and Huntelaar steers it home after squeezing in front of Gorkss. 41 Kurakins is having a torrid time out there. He is beaten again by Robben, as the Bayern star continues to cause havoc. He gets into the right side of the area and has only Kolinko to beat from a narrow angle, but his cut-back pass is blocked. 40 DUTCH PENALTY CLAIMS DENIED! Van der Wiel and a few of his team-mates are absolutely certain that they should have a spot-kick, or at least a free-kick on the edge of the area. The PSG right-back saw his cross smash against the arm of Kurakins, but the referee failed to notice. 38 The standard of the Netherlands set-pieces has left a lot to be desired so far. Once again Sneijders delivery fails to cause much of a problem amongst the Latvian defence, with the visitors clearing fairly easily. 37 The hosts are charging forward once again, this time down the left with Willems. The full-back manages to get beyond Gabovs initially, but his cross his deflected behind by the right-back. 35 Assist Robin van Persie 35 Goal Arjen Robben GOAL!!! WHAT A STRIKE! The Netherlands double their lead in spectacular style! Robben picks up possession just inside his own half and surges into the final third. He plays a quick one-two with Van Persie, jinks inside and on to his left foot before curling a delightful effort into the top-right corner from 25 yards. Sumptuous. 33 Thats brilliant from Robben. The forward receives a pass in the area from Sneijder and, spotting the midfielders run, Robben plays a delightful back-heel into his path. Dubra covers well, though. 31 The Dutch are still piling on the pressure, but they arent doing much with all their possession at the moment. Robben continues to pull the strings, though his supporting cast are struggling to get on his wave length. 29 Robben has been quiet in the last few minutes, but he is at the fore again now. He runs at Kurakins and manages to get into the area. He jinks on to his right foot and tries to cross, but the Latvia left-back does well to block it. 27 Kurakins again! This time the left-back goes in hard on Van der Wiel and, although he seems to completely miss the ball, he manages to escape being penalised. He is a very lucky man. 26 Yellow Card A. Kurakins 26 Needless foul by Kurakins there as he clatters into Robben after he had already played the ball. He deservedly sees his name go into the referee book. He could be in for a long day now. 25 Sneijder steps up to take the free-kick and blasts his effort well over the crossbar from about 30 yards. That really was a waste from the Galatasaray star. 24 Yellow Card Artūrs Zjuzins 24 Free-kick to the Dutch now, as Afellay runs through the middle and finds himself cynically tripped by Zjuzins, whose name is taken by the referee. Sneijder wanders over to take the kick. 23 The corner comes to nothing and, although Netherlands remain on the front foot, the attack eventually peters to an end as Van der Wiel produces a terrible first touch after running on to Robbens diguised pass. 22 Good play by Afellay. The Barcelona-owned midfielder cuts inside from the left and unleashes a stinging drive at goal, forcing Kolinko into a save. The goalkeeper cant hold on to it, though, as he concedes a corner. 21 Bad news for the Netherlands and Manchester United. Daley Blind is forced off with an injury, seemingly to his thigh. Jordy Clasie takes his place. 20 Substitution Daley Blind Jordy Clasie 19 GREAT CHANCE FOR LATVIA! Fertovs floats a clever ball over the Dutch centre-backs and Sakala reaches it after making a well-timed run. The unmarked forward sends his header wide of the target, however. 18 The Dutch corner comes to nothing, as Robbens deep delivery is latched on to by Sneijder, whose first-time volley actually goes straight back out towards the corner taker. That amused most of the stadium. 17 Afellay finds himself involved in the build-up play on this occasion, pouncing on possession just inside the area, before driving to the byline and attempting a cross. His delivery is deflected behind, though. 15 Decent chance again for Afellay. Huntelaar just about manages to bring down Robbens lofted pass inside the area and, although he doesnt get it completely under his control, he is able to poke the ball to Afellay, who hits a tame effort straight at Kolinko. 14 The hosts game plan is absolutely obvious so far. Sneijder drops deep to take the ball from Bling and he instantly looks out to the right. He drills a cross-field ball towards Robben, but Kurakins just about makes the interception. 12 ALMOST A SECOND! Unsurprisingly Robben is at the centre of things yet again. He gets into the right side of the area and runs at Kurakins, who looks utterly terrified. The Bayern start jinks inside and gets a shot away, but he drags his effort into the side-netting. 10 Robben pops up again on the right this time. He comes inside on to his left foot, plays a clever pass into the area for Afellay and immediately looks for a return pass. His team-mates ball isnt quite good enough, though. 8 Robben is everywhere at the moment. Despite initially lining up on the right, he has just appeared on the left, drawing in defenders before exploding away from them. Latvia dont seem to have much of answer to him at the moment. 6 Assist Arjen Robben 6 Goal Robin van Persie GOAL!!! THE NETHERLANDS TAKE THE LEAD! Robben does brilliantly down the right as he chases down a throughball, checks back on to his left foot and then chips a fine cross into the area. Van Persie escapes the clutches of Dubra and nods past Kolinko. 5 One suspects this could be a long day for the Latvian defence, with the opening five minutes seemingly setting the tone. The Dutch are well on top, dictating play with ease and looking bright so far. 3 LATVIA SAVED BY THE POST! Very encouraging start from the hosts as they unsurprisingly look to get their visitors on the back foot as early as possible. Van Persie manages to bring down a lofted ball in the area and he tees Afellay up in the left side of the area, and the Olympiacos midfielder sees his first-time effort strike the far post. 1 Off we go. The Netherlands start the match which could possibly be Hiddinks final game in charge. - The teams are now out on the pitch at the packed and noisy Amsterdam ArenA. The Netherlands have never lost a European Championships qualifier at this ground; surely they wont today? - Unsurprisingly Hiddink has made a few changes from the defeat to Mexico, with Veltman, who endured a disastrous day against Hernandez and Vela, one of the most notable, although completely expected, casualties. Bruma comes into the side in his place, while De Vrij lines up alongside the PSV man after replacing the injured Vlaar. Van Persie also comes back into the side, with Depay making way. - The Netherlands find themselves third in Group A after three matches, sitting six points behind Czech Republic and Iceland, both of whom have won all three of their games so far. After their worse ever start to a qualification campaign, Hiddink came out and openly admitted that he will step down as coach should his team lose today, making this an absolute must-win fixture. - Guus Hiddinks men have been in wretched form recently having won only one of their last five matches, with that solitary triumph coming against Kazakhstan. The Netherlands warmed up for todays clash with a 3-2 defeat at home to Mexico on Wednesday, with serious questions being raised about the teams defensive capabilities. No doubt supporters will be expecting a significant improvement today. - Latvia subs: Maksimenko, Bulvitis, Kovalovs, Zigajevs, Rakels, Rudnevs, Jagodinskis, Timofejevs, Steinbors, Cauna. - Latvia starting XI (4-4-2): Kolinko; Visnakovs, Kurakins, Gorkss, Gabovs; Sabala, E.Visnkovs, Fertovs, Ikaunieks; Zjuzins, Dubra. - Netherlands subs: Krul, Vermeer, Veltman, Wijnaldum, Depay, Narsingh, Fer, Clasie, Rekik, De Jong, Promes, Van Rhijn. - Netherlands starting XI (4-4-2): Cillessen; Van der Wiel, Bruma, De Vrij, Willems; Afellay, Blind, Sneijder, Robben; Huntelaar, Van Persie. - CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS: Hello and welcome to the LIVE text commentary of the Euro 2016 qualifier between the Netherlands and Latvia. The Amsterdam ArenA is the setting for todays clash and I, Ryan Benson, shall be describing all of the action to you as the Dutch look to kick-start their underwhelming Group A campaign.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 05:26:50 +0000
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