Dutch Victory is a Van Man Thing

Holland’s victory over an impressive Ivory Coast side came courtesy of a tremendous free kick in the 23rd minute from Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie, followed swiftly by a cool finish from Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Robben’s pass.

But it was far from being one way traffic. A brilliant strike from Bakary Kone in the 38th minute gave the Ivory Coast real hope for the second half, in which their pressure almost brought them an equaliser. On two occasions they might have had a penalty and Drogba saw a header cleared off the line by Van Persie, whose all round performance demonstrated that he doesn’t just talk about teamwork, he delivers.

Both teams can take great encouragement from this game. Marco Van Basten has produced a predominantly young side which could yet prove to be dark horses in the competition, while the Ivory Coast, for whom the Toure brothers were outstanding, are widely considered to be the best of the African sides and capable of improving still further.