Holland beat Slovakia 2-1 on Monday afternoon, then Brazil beat Chile 3-0 in the evening.
After watching England, the Holland-Slovakia game was refreshing because both teams passed the ball, made runs for each other, and showed some craft and intelligence.
As we have seen, Wesley Sneijder\’s right foot has been a can-opener for Inter all season, as they won the first treble by any Italian club.
The can-opener punched a hole in Slovakia after 18 minutes. Holland had seven players deep in their own half when Sneijder aimed an aerial pass into the run of Arjen Robben, who came inside centreback Jan Durica and rifled a deadly shot just inside the post.
Then Vittek shot straight at Stekelenburg, a bad miss. Fabiano will not miss that chance on Friday. Robinho might miss it but Fabiano won’t. Patrick Kluivert missed three against Brazil in the 1998 semi against Brazil. The whole Oranje team might not get four chances against Dunga\’s Big Gold Machine.
In Holland\’s first three games, Robben didn\’t start, so Van Persie was the main man up front. With Robben starting, and scoring the first goal, RVP looked uncertain and clumsy.
Holland know how to slow a game down after they have scored, giving you time to realise that you\’re losing. As the first half went on, Slovakia knew they would be losing at half-time.
The Dutch have qualities England will never have : strategic intelligence, craft, good habits, a coherent style, solid teamwork, and players who have mastered the geometry of counter-attack, who know how passes and sprints can explode into spaces.
Just as Frank de Boer hit Dennis Bergkamp with a majestic 70-yard diagonal in France 98, so Wesley Sneijder can hit Robben now. Different century, same shirts, same dynamism.
Can Wesley Can-opener split the Brazilian defence with a killer pass? Maybe. But Lucio, Maicon and Julio Cesar know Sneijder too well. He can surprise most defenders but not them.
Second half, the Slovakia game was vaguely interesting but it looked as if Holland could keep the score at 1-0 for another two hours. In 49, keeper Jan Mucha made a very good save from Robben.
RVP tried a dribble, lost the ball and kicked the shin of No.5, Zabavnik. Eliah came 0n for Robben in 71, Huntelaar for RVP in 80. Then Kuyt had a 50-50 for a bouncing ball with the keeper and he headed past Mucha and passed square for Sneijder to make it 2-0 in 84. Vittek\’s penalty in the 90th minute was too late to matter.
All five South American teams had reached for the last 16 and Chile did not want to be the first to be eliminated, so they hustled Brazil, which is always the right thing to.
Coached by the enigmatic Marcelo Bielsa, Chile play play a clever brand of brisk attacking football, regardless of the score. They believe in their style when the score is 0-0 or 2-0 or 0-3 and I love that. Chile finished second in that ten-nation South American qualifying group.
Unfortunately, Chile were without Ponce, Medal and Estrada, three suspended defenders. Brazil scored the first goal with a power header by Juan, the second when Kaka sweetly supplied Luis Fabiano, the third after a power dribble by Ramires of Benfica, who deputised for injured hatchet-man Felipe Melo.
Typically, Dunga picked a combative team, with Dani Alves in the Elano role. When a frustrated Kaka offended with a silly hack, Howard Webb gave him a yellow card, which was a bit harsh, I thought.
In 33, Maicon took a phenomenal outswinging corner, Lucio blocked a defender, and his partner Juan made a trampoline leap to send a booming header into the net. It’s lovely to score from set-pieces as well as from mercurial one-touch attacks.
Five minutes later, a second goal arrived when Fabiano, that willing artisan, won a header on the halfway line, knocked it left side to Robinho, who cruised infield.
When Robinho passed to Kaka, Luis Fabiano was onside and facing Kaka, who then guided a sidefoot pass beyond the defender, softly enough to give Fabiano time to turn and see the advancing keeper Claudio Bravo. One touch took Fabiano round the Real Sociedad keeper for 2-0.
In 59, the big, rangy Ramires intercepted a ball near the halfway line, roared past Howard Webb and two Chileans and squared the ball for Robinho to clip round the keeper\’s dive from 17 yards. Robinho always scores against Chile. A Dani Alves 30-yarder dipped two yards past the angle.
Brazil now looked invincible, even with Kaka at 60% of what he once was. Lucio is the best captain at the World Cup, as well as the best defender, because he is so down-to-earth and reliable.
Dunga;s big athletes should outrun and outjump the Dutch team all day long. Man City midfielder De Jong is a pachyderm in football boots and may be a mere spectator as Robinho and Kaka glide past him. The ref will only allow Mark van Bommel one or two crunching tackles.
Maybe Brazil could lose, I thought. All teams can lose. But who will beat them? What player will worry them? Not Robben. Maybe Messi, maybe Carlos Tevez, a one-man volcano, a mover of mountains.
I remember Phil Scolari\’s 2002 world champions vividly and this team is superior to that one in everything except finishing ability.
Dunga, like Scolari, knows how to combine muscle and artistry. He organises a reliable team structure that controls the game. That organisation gives his flair players a platform on which to operate.
Generally, Dunga\’s Brazilians don\’t do see-saw games. Their matches are the exact opposite of see-saw. They are games where Robinho, Kaka and Fabiano think, “If we score here, it\’s the goal that wins this game. We only need one. We might get three, but we only need one.â€
OK, Robinho will never be as creative or spectacular as Ronaldinho was, but he should play a major role in this tournament. Brazil only have to win two more games to reach the final on Sunday, July 11.
I reckon Dunga’s high-powered gladiators will win their sixth World Cup because they have the best defence and the strongest bench. I\’ll be amazed if they don\’t win it.
But, hey, football is very unpredictable. Maybe I should not say so much so soon.
July 11 is a long way in the future. I might be wearing trousers on July 11. I might even be wearing socks.