Chapter 45: The Humiliation of the Crotch
The first round of Group A is over, and then the tournament enters the second matchday, with the Netherlands vs Denmark and Germany vs Portugal.
In the first match between the Dutch team and the Danish team, although everyone thought before the game that the strength of the Dutch team was obviously higher than that of the opponent, but in this game against Denmark, the high-profile uncrowned king did not show the domineering he should have at all, and the chaotic ball control exposed the arrogance and contempt of the Dutch at a glance.
In the 24th minute of the game, Colondry intercepted the opponent's clearance ball outside the penalty area, and in the face of Heitinga, Colondry lightly buckled, shook the Dutch defensive core like a stake, and then shot from a small angle in the penalty area, and the ball passed under the crotch of Stekelenburg and drilled straight into the net.
You know, the Netherlands in the 32 European Championship matches, a total of 17 wins, of which 14 were the first to score, only three times for the first goal after the reversal, their last European Championship reversal win, back 12 years ago with France, that is to say, Colondry's goal, almost announced that the orange team in this European Championships, the probability of getting off to a good start, has been very small.
Although the Netherlands have been top-heavy for a long time, it is still surprising that their opponents have been so comfortable in scoring the goal. You must know that before the game, Heitinga also boasted that Haikou, confident that his three years of experience in Everton already have the strength to deal with any striker, especially a commodity like Bendtner, and he can do it effortlessly.
Heitinga said: "Bendtner is a good goalscorer, we played each other in the Premier League and he didn't get the slightest chance from me and tonight was the same, now I'm a mature defender and I'm confident to single out any striker,' said Heitinga. ”
As a result, Colondry, who is far less famous than the Danish striker, used the most humiliating way to vent this bad breath for his teammates, and Stekelenburg, who was once handpicked by Van der Sar as the dual successor of the club and the national team, was also played by the little-known Dane.
After that, Klondri played with more and more confidence, and in the 41st minute, he even had a chance to extend the Danish team's victory, when the ball fell into the blind spot of the Dutch defence, and Krondry was on the verge of completing a close range of shots, but Jacobsen squandered a great chance from the back post.
Just a minute later, Stekelenburg's right-footed curling shot in front of the Krondel penalty area shocked Stekelenburg in a cold sweat, and in the 70th minute, Krondri repeated his old trick, his right-footed shot after horizontal dribbling went straight to the bottom left corner of the goal, and Stekelenburg tried his best to save the ball from the bottom line.
It is worth mentioning that the Netherlands has the strongest forward combination in this European Championship, Huntelaar, Van Persie, Luc. De Jong's three strikers, the total number of league goals in their respective clubs this season added up to nearly 100, and they also won the Golden Boot Award in the league they played.
As a result, Van Persie, who has been in the Premier League this season, frequently shoots, slips and kicks off, while Colondry on the other side seized almost the only real opportunity in Denmark and hit a lethal blow.
After the game, Dutch captain Van Bommel also said bitterly: "They created such a threat in the whole game, and we had so many chances! ”
Denmark coach Olsen said in a low-key manner before the game: "The Netherlands have a really strong squad, they are even stronger than they were in the World Cup two years ago, and they are undoubtedly the favourites to win the title." ”
But Bendtner noted: "Our opponents are favourites, maybe better than us in terms of quality, but there are many factors that will determine the outcome of the match. ”
Now it seems that Cologne Dry is the decisive factor in this victory.
In the end, Denmark defeated the favorite Netherlands 1-0 with a goal from Colondry in the first half, which seems to be a big surprise, but if you taste it, you will find that the defeat of the Dutch team is also reasonable.
Before the game, Dutch coach Van Marwijk had said that any team that underestimated the Danish team would be punished, but his words came true for his own team.
The course and results of the game proved that the Danish team is not a fish belly, nor is it the weakest team in the group as people think, although the Danish team is tall, but not clumsy at the feet, and the more fluid midfield passes also create a lot of dangerous attacks.
In contrast, only Peter Pan Robben hit the post with a long-range shot, but failed to score a goal in dozens of shots throughout the game, is it just bad luck?
In this game, although the Dutch team had a lot of shots, most of them were completed outside the penalty area, which showed the passion at the same time, but also exposed the mentality of the Dutch team eager to win the game, but the rough attack in front of the goal also showed the Dutch team's sentiment of underestimating the enemy.
It was in such a seemingly contradictory mentality that the Dutch team's attack was never as smooth as people expected, and as the game progressed, impatience followed, and the result can be imagined, the Dutch team's offensive tide was very small, but there were few that could form a real threat to the Danish goal.
Especially when the score is behind, the Dutch team has become more and more impatient as time goes by, and coach Van Marwijk has also changed Huntelaar, Van der Vaart and Kuyt in the last 20 minutes, plus the lone arrow Van Persie, the Dutch team in the final moments, there are four players in the front line at the same time, but the effect is still not ideal.
At the last moment of the game, the overall formation of the Dutch team has been completely disjointed, with five players in the front and back courts, and there is no midfield transition at all, just like a person who only has his head and feet, and does not have the strength of his torso and waist and abdomen to support and connect, it will definitely not work. In particular, the five people in the front court, lined up from left to right, no interaction, no level, such a formation and position, even if all 10 people except the goalkeeper are pushed to the front court, it is useless.
Excessive impatience wasted too many chances, and too hasty and reluctant shots did not show what could have been a more delicate combination.
Not calm, is the biggest problem of the Dutch team, although the Dutch team has dozens of shots on goal, but most of them are individual breakthrough type of solitary work, there are very few decent continuous foot formation, its control of the field and rhythm does not show the level that a strong team should have, the final score is very disappointing for the supporters of the Netherlands, but the result is reasonable.
The impatient Dutch team finally paid the price, perhaps before the game, no one expected such a result in the game, no matter which line, the Dutch team was far stronger than Denmark, but in the end, they lost.
In the game, the Danish team, which performed more actively and worked harder, confirmed the saying "God rewards hard work", and those who work harder will get more fruitful rewards.
After the game, Danish striker Bendtner also said excitedly in an interview that the victory of this game was spelled out, although he did not score in the game, but undoubtedly became the most dangerous explosive facing the Dutch team's backline.
The tall Bendtner's skills were also very good at his feet, and he completely dominated the duel against Heitinga, who didn't take him seriously, and although he didn't score, Bendtner's contribution to the team in this game is needless to say.
'We fought for a win, it was a great moment, no one looked on us before the game, everyone thought we would be a victim of the Dutchman's good start, but in the end, we used the victory to tell those who looked down on us that Danish football is not as weak as they thought! Winning is the best reward for us, now we have to focus on the next game, and I believe that as long as we can keep fighting, we will have the best result! ”
The Danes were cheering for their victory, while the Dutchmen were about to taste the endless pain, and coach Van Marwijk openly expressed his dissatisfaction with his team in a post-match interview: "The whole game looked a little bit out of shape, the players looked very blind on the pitch, they didn't know what they were aiming for, yes! We had a lot of shots, but we didn't have a real chance, is that normal? I warned before the game that no one should underestimate Denmark and that those who underestimate them will be punished, but it is clear that no one listened, they just wanted to win quickly and enjoy the joy of victory, and it was this attitude of underestimating the enemy that made us pay the price! ”
However, it is clear that Van Marwijk's words did not get everyone's approval, and the team's top troublemaker said after learning of Van Marwijk's criticism: "Can anyone shirk responsibility? I'll admit we played a really shit game, but it's not all the players' responsibility, we tried our best, but we didn't get more of the right instructions, especially in the last moments, we were desperate and there were a lot of people up front, but what about the result? I'm sure you've all seen it! ”
Van Persie publicly refuted Van Marwijk, and seeing this scene, many people may feel very familiar, because this kind of thing has long been common in Dutch football.