GROUP D P W D L F A PTS Czech Republic 3 3 0 0 7 4 9 Holland 3 1 1 1 6 4 4 Germany 3 0 2 1 2 3 2 Latvia 3 0 1 2 1 5 1 Qualify for quarter-finals 23 June 2004 HOLLAND 3-0 LATVIA Van Nistelrooy 27 (Pen), 35 Makaay 84 Davids won a bs penalty. Van Nistelrooy sent Kolinko the wrong way and he added a second after Cocu headed Seedorf's free kick back across goal. The absolutely brilliant Robben made the third, he beat two players on the left wing then knocked a pass into Makaay, with an outstanding first touch with his right foot he took the ball away from a defender and with his left smashed past Kolinko. Watching the reminds you what a superb striker Makaay is. There has to be a way to play Van Nistelrooy and Makaay in attack together. This is the most talented Dutch side since the glorious 1988 European Cup winning team now that cancer Kluivert has been relegated to the bench the Dutch have a World Class striker leading the attack and another on the bench unfortunately they also have a bus driver as manager. This match was played at the spectacular stadium built into a mountain in Braga. The problem is the stadium looks unfinished what they need to do is dig a moat and fill it with crocodiles, and in the mountain face itself put up a few medieval style torches. That would be cool. Assists : Davids (won pen), Cocu, Robben GERMANY 1-2 CZECH REPUBLIC Ballack 21 Heinz 30 Baros 77 Ballack's 21st minute volley gave the Germans 2nd place in the group, for less than 10 minutes. Schneider intercepted a hospital pass out of the Czech defence and crossed the ball to Schweinsteiger, he laid it off first time and Ballack hit a stunning left foot volley right into the top corner. Less then 10 minutes later we were treated to another fantastic left footed strike, Heinz sent a 30 yard free kick screaming into the top corner, Heinz - Heinz (think about it). Ballack sent a shot from distance whistling past the post and came even closer minutes later when he took out Tyce with a great dummy before blasting a shot against the inside of a post, the ball landed at Schneider's feet and he completely miss kicked, shooting into the ground allowing reserve goalkeeper Blazek time to recover. Terrible, terrible miss. There was an unbelievable let off for the Czechs on a corner. Blazek flapped at Worns header and a Czech defender cleared off the line, with bodies everywhere Blazek got up and punched the ball straight to Podolski, the youngster took the ball on his chest and hammered a low shot at goal but Blazek made an impossible save with his feet, save of the tournament. In a cruel blow Baros ended German hopes against the run of play on the break. Heinz, who looks remarkably like Czech coach Bruckner, split the defence with pass to substitute Baros, he sold Nowotny with a dummy, held off Worns and was denied brilliantly by Kahn but the German #1 was helpless on the rebound. Total daylight robbery. The Germans haven't beaten European opposition in any major finals tournament since Euro 96 when ironically they beat the Czechs in the final. The difference between the two teams now is like night and day (the Czech first team not the reserves). Heinz is fantastic. He's a late developer but if he was looking for a contract with a European club he won't be short on offers after this tournament. Heinz looks like Bruckner and Bruckner looks like the first Dr Who : http://tv.cream.org/lookin/drwho/1stdr/index.htm I would hate to face the Czechs, they are looking out of this World. Assists : Schweinsteiger, Heinz (won fk) 19 June 2004 HOLLAND 2-3 CZECH REPUBLIC Bouma 4 Koller 23 Van Nistelrooy 19 Baros 71 Smicer 88 What a bloody game. In the second minute Rosicky found Dortmund team-mate Koller with an exquisite lob, the giant striker volleyed over the bar. Nedved gave away a free kick. Bouma hurled himself at Robben's free kick and connected with a spectacular diving header. Seedorf wasted good work by Davids and Van Nistelrooy. Van Nistelrooy was standing miles offside in the build up to the second goal. Davids split the Czech defence with a brilliant pass inside to Robben, he centred and Van Nistelrooy tapped in. Cocu's hospital pass but Baros in the clear and despite some strong defending by Stam he managed to lay the ball off to Koller who tapped in his first of the tournament. Heitinga's 30 yard strike was matched by an Cech's extraordinary save. Seedorf hit the stanchion with another brilliant shot from distance and Davids, set up by Robben, saw his shot cannon back of the inside of a post. Van Nistelrooy had a stone wall penalty appeal turned down. Sloppy defending at the start of the second half left van der Meyde in the clear but with Van Nistelrooy screaming for the ball he took one step too many and Cech claimed. Cech made a fantastic save with his feet as Van Nistelrooy seemed certain to increase Holland's lead, Robben again with the cross, A rash of substitutions briefly took the sting out of the game. Bosvelt came on for Robben, who was the best player on the pitch, Smicer came on for Grygera and Heinz replaced Galasek. Koller chested down Nedved's cross and Baros volleyed over van der Sar. Heitinga was given an extremely harsh yellow card for fouling Nedved. Cech made another brilliant save to deny van der Meyde and at the other end van der Sar make three brilliant saves from Smicer, Nedved and substitute Rozehnal. Nedved hit an amazing shot from 30 yards against the post and Poborsky missed the rebound on the follow-up. Advocat made the costly mistake of taking off Van der Meyde and replacing him with Reiziger. Without him the Dutch had zero creativity and no pace in midfield. Baros teed up Heinze with a strong run, Heinz's shot was parried by van der Sar, Poborsky squared and Smicer knocked in the rebound. Van der Vaart missed a late, late chance to give the Dutch a deserved draw. The best international game I have ever seen ruined by referee Gonzalez, who gave the Dutch nothing, sending off Heitinga. The Dutch face the very real possibility of elimination, their only hope is that the Germans match the complete lack of imagination they showed earlier today against the Czech reserves. Advocat is a ****ing idiot. Assists : Robben (fk), Robben, Baros, Koller LATVIA 0-0 GERMANY Verpakovskis had strong penalty appeals turned down by idiot Mike Riley. The Latvian forwards didn't help matter by continually diving in the box. Klose wasted the best chance late in the second half. Lahm showed an all too rare moment of quality to dribble past two Latvians before whipping a precise cross into the box, Klose flung himself at the ball and headed about 10 foot wide. 15 June 2004 GERMANY 1-1 HOLLAND Frings 30 Van Nistelrooy 81 The fireworks failed to materialise in what is usually one of THE classic international counters. The Germans were given an early scare when simple balls over the top found van Nistelrooy then absolutely nothing happened. Out of nowhere Frings gave Germany the lead. Cocu needlessly gave away a free kick by booting Lahm. Frings took the free kick, way out wide on the left, the ball evaded everyone and bounced in off the post. van der Vaart had the only other notable effort. van Nistelrooy knocked down a cross and Ajax captain skipped past a defender but dragged his shot wide of goal. Ballack flashed a volley wide of the post and Kuranyi just failed to make contact with a cross. The Dutch were almost caught out from another Frings free kick, Stam and van der Sar ball watched Kuranyi head wide. Schweinsteiger, on as a substitute, also missed a good chance. Advocat (the bus driver) threw on Van Hooijdonk for defender Heitinga and with the team playing long ball he was the obvious choice. Van Hooijdonk, who is about as welcome in Sherwood Forest as the Sheriff of Nottingham, helped make the equaliser. Under pressure from van Hooijdonk Lahm failed to clear, Ernst tried to tidy up but was robbed by van der Meyde who whipped a fantastic cross into the box and van Nistelrooy connected with a spectacular, Van Basten style scissor kick to volley his team level. Lifted by the goal the Dutch forced corners and free kicks but time denied them the chance of scoring what would have been an ill deserved winner. The Germans, like England, will feel highly aggrieved by this result. The Dutch were dreadful, never did I think I would see the day when a team with so many talented individuals would be so short on ideas that they would resort to the long ball. Assists : Lahm (won free kick), van der Meyde CZECH REPUBLIC 2-1 LATVIA Baros 73 Verpakovskis 46 Heinz 85 As expected the Czechs pounded the Latvian goal and could have been two up inside the first ten minutes - Nedved denied by Stepanovs and Jankulovski flashed a shot wide following a great run down the left. Baros and Nedved spurned further chances and Stepanovs, having the game of his life, was throwing himself at every shot. The Latvians broke after Baros had a shot charged down, Stepanovs released Prohorenkovs down the left and his low cross was turned into an empty net by Verpakovskis. The pressure on the Latvian goal was even more intense in the second half. Poborsky struck the outside of a post with a shot from distance, Baros missed two absolute sitters and Kolinko made a fantastic save to keep out Nedved's fiercely struck volley. Then the breakthrough, Poborsky made the goal with a tremendous bit of dribbling on the right touchline, he just about managed to keep the ball in play, Kolinko clashed with a defender when jumping for the cross and Baros shot inside the post. Substitutes Smicer and Heinz went close, Smicer should have done better from Nedved's cross and Heinz crashed a shot against the top of the crossbar. Kolinko once again collided with a defender when going up for a cross and Zemlinskis' hurried clearance was fired in by Heinz. Assist : Prohorenkovs |