While domestic leagues rage across the European continent – and elsewhere – ahead of an end-of-season
denouement, it is worth noting even at this early juncture that the European Championship, EURO 2012, is just around the corner.
Of the 16 teams set to battle for what is generally accepted to be the 2nd most prestigious accolade in international football (many would argue that it may/could/should be the zenith, but that’s an argument for another time) the group stages – four by four – have thrown up a tantalising tie: Portugal versus Netherlands.
Forgive me if I channel ‘The Cat in the Hat’ at this point and say: ‘well, you know what they did the
last time they were here!’
I refer of course to what is now known as ‘The Battle of Nuremberg’ in the 2006 World Cup. Portugal faced the Netherlands then and I think it’s fair to say that the plot was lost to an extent that many storied, qualified and tenacious historians still seek it here, and seek it there. Hell, you’d be as well trying both Regent Street and Leicester Square; these are as good as any places to start in search of the still-absent plot.
The last time that the Seleccao faced off with
de Oranje saw a record 16 yellow and four red cards brandished by Russian referee Valentin Ivanov. PortuGOAL spoke exclusively with former Netherlands midfielder (two caps, one goal) and current Vitesse Arnhem manager John van den Brom for his thoughts on that infamous match in Germany, and the one to come in Ukraine this summer.
“I don’t know how [the game] got so out of hand so quickly,” van den Brom said. “I was at the game and I have to say I was surprised by the atmosphere in general and the aggression of the Portuguese. I think then, as now, that the Netherlands were the superior team and I think it suited Portugal to try and have as little football played as possible. You have to say, this approach was successful.” Portugal won 1-0.
“No needle” - van den Brom
“I don’t feel that there is any ‘needle’ between the two countries at all, no history of a volatile relationship that would perhaps have explained the curious events in Nuremberg. Football just turns out like that sometimes.”
When Portugal and the Netherlands line up again this summer there will be a number of players on the park who took part in the 2006 game; will there be any ‘legacy’ in 2012 from went before? “No, I don’t think so. It’s a different time and a different tournament. There will be two teams wanting to win and while [the media] will no doubt cast [2006] up, I am certain the players will be focused on this game alone, just to win. This was the case last time, but I don’t think we’ll see a similar game this time around!”
So, the $64,000 question then, John: who is going to win in Ukraine? “I think football will be the winner,” he says, and when I suggest that this is a very diplomatic answer, we get a little more. “OK, as a Dutchman I obviously want us to win. I think that we have a better side but football is football and the best team doesn’t always win. I think we’ll have too much for Portugal, though.”
So there we are. Nice early prediction. Netherlands to beat Portugal in their Group B match three months hence.
by John Hunt
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I watched the game and have seen the highlights many times since then and it was truly a shameful spectacle. I find van den Brom's comment that Portugal engaged in a type of anti-football to win the match particualrly humorous given that the Dutch were on several occasions (and in the first instance) guilty of provoking the Portuguese players with their trackles and of excessively physical play that led the game to eventually spiral out of control.
The Dutch hardly played as well as one would think after reading van dem Brom's comments. They struggled to get any kind of rhythm going throughout the match and deservedly lost after some vicious tackles conducted with the intent to injure.
That being said, I highly respect and admire the quality of the current Dutch side. I think they will be formidable opponents for Portugal and on the basis of recent results, I am not surprised that they will be favourites going into the match. Portugal's quaifying campaign was very precarious.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese often excel against tough competition and I am not particularly impressed by the Dutch defence, which has a number of weak points. It should be an interesting, tense and exciting match...where we will hopefully get to see some football being played...
Anyway both teams have class and d most important thing here is who qualifies out of the Group not who beats who and doesnt qualify in d end.
Von Bommel is be of greatest floppers ever. On almost every header he will drop to his knees if he feels the opponents breath on his neck. He will also punish you hard, and if he doesn't get that initial yellow, look out on the next foul.
It's silly to even argue, since everyone knows it was the Dutch that caused that match to turn into a blood bath. Portugal had, and to some extent still has, a dirty/tough reputation. By the end of that match commentators went on about how Portuguese were defending themselves and reacting.
There's no denying the Dutch are talented. The most beautiful thing is that they tend to fight themselves in the dressing room. A lot of selfish payers that will sulk and pout. Von Pearsie just recently went at it with Krull in the EPL. That should play out well come the Euros.
Robben has always been a handful, mostly off he field when in big tourneys. Sneidjer has also been a shell of himself.
Do they have the players to win the Euros? Yes. Put they have self destructed before and the odds are good they will again.
I use to admire their team but after that game in 2006 and what they did, I started hating them! They played Karate, not football! And in 2010 against Brazil, I was fully convinced that they are never charismatic at all! Robben is a great player but he's an actor,do you remember the way he sent Michel Bastos out?? And that 999 years old Van Bommel who's on the field just to fight with others....
Briefly they suck, they're slow and plz let us win to convince all those who are still underestimating us that we're there for the trophy and nothing less!
I don't know what should we do to get UEFA's respect!we have the best wingers in the world, one of the best defense!and still media's trying to get us down.But that's better we'll be there to surprise them and show them who we really are!
Forca PortugaL!
I agree that Portugal were very aggressive in Nuremberg that day but it's ridiculous to assert that the Dutch didn't have any part in that.
"I think then, as now, that the Netherlands were the superior team..." Ha, yeah maybe they were the better team AFTER they took Ronaldo out of the game, but even so they lost so I'm not really understanding that. I'm pretty sure the Portugal of the mid 2000's showed that they were superior to the Dutch team of the mid 2000's with results, not just opinion.
In this tournament, again the Dutch come in with a much better repertoire having won their qualifying group with only one loss to Sweden on the last match day, well after they had qualified themselves. They also went to the final of the world cup two years ago and boast a very formidable lineup, as has been discussed. Still, I think for them it's going to be all about how they perceive their opponent. They've misjudged Portugal before and I believe they are doing it again. That all plays into our hands though and they're going to get a rude awakening when they come out in Kharkiv thinking they will run over us only to find an experienced and resolute Portuguese team that hasn't taken too kindly to being talked down to.
I'll be honest and say that if Holland actually respected us as an opponent, they probably would win at Euro 2012. However, since they don't respect us, I think we win, 2-1. They'll come at us hard and Van Persie will give B. Alves fits, but it'll cost them because we have a great counterattacking football team. Ronaldo and Nani are going to wear the Dutch fullbacks out and Sneijder isn't what he was two years ago, so I can see Moutinho and co. getting comfortable in midfield as the game progresses.
It'll take more than a little cheek to get past this Portuguese team, but by all means I hope they continue to underestimate us.
Van den Brom should re-watch that match and the match against the Spanish in the World Cup to really see who didn't want to play football on the night.
I like that Portugal is the underdog in their group, it's usually when we shine. We didn't just beat the dutch in 2006 we also beat them in euro 2004 when again the dutch were considered by most to be the better team.
The Dutch used similar tactics against Spain in the 2010 World Cup Final.