Holland’s Oranje See Red

Following his side’s defeat, Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk quipped, “I don’t think the referee controlled the match well.” Bert, you’re completely correct. The irony is that the Dutch should probably have finished with 8 players and saved us all the trouble of watching another half hour of incessant fouling. In addition to Johnny Heitinga‘s incessant fouling that resulted in the game’s only red card, Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong in particular, took the expression ‘Dutch Courage’ to heart by repeatedly leaving their foot in on the tackle and arriving late and from behind. If they’re thinking of making another Karate Kid sequel any time soon, look no further than de Jong‘s roundhouse kick on Xabi Alonso‘s chest for perfect execution.

All too often, teams with inferior ability try to outmuscle the opposition. Just ask Arsene Wenger. Every week in the Premier League lower placed side tries to unsettle their more skilled opponents by kicking, punching, elbowing and headbutting at every opportunity. You play to your strengths, there’s nothing wrong with that. On Sunday, the Netherlands took their courage too far and perhaps the referee was to blame – he should have sent off more Dutch players.

De Jong jumps at his chance to win silverware... sadly to no avail.

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