Netherlands 5 - Spain 1

Photo by Paul Gilham

In the much anticipated rematch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final match, defending champions Spain took the field in Salvador to combat Netherlands. The Oranje, wearing blue today, were heartbroken before the tournament by the dual losses of midfielders Rafael van der Vaart and Kevin Strootman. A misplayed chest trap by Spanish left back Jordi Alba (pictured, white #18) sprung a quick through ball from Arjen Robben (pictured, blue). Wesley Sneijder was in behind the Spanish defense, but his effort was struck directly at Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas for a simple save. Spain, as always, hogged the majority of the possession, but Netherlands were keen to catch the champions on the break. Netherlands were made to pay for their risky three-man backline time and again by well-placed through ball from Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta. He found Brasil-born, Brasil-capped striker Diego Costa, who feinted and got Stefan de Vrij to slide at the ball. When Costa cut back, he was tripped inside the box. The fans were already booing Costa's every touch, and the penalty call he drew only exacerbated the derision. Spain converted the penalty kick for a 1-0 lead. Iniesta again picked the Dutch backline apart with a through ball with less than five minutes left in the opening period. David Silva tried to chip Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. but was denied by his fingertips. The Oranje immediately made Spain pay for their profligacy. An exceptional long cross from just inside midfield from Daley Blind found a streaking Robin van Persie. Launching his head forward like a guided missile toward the ball, van Persie popped a beautiful header over an off-his-line Casillas to even the score at one goal apiece. The halftime score was Netherlands 1, Spain 1.

By the second half, the rain was pouring hard in Salvador. Another lovely lofted cross from Blind this time found itself in the path of Robben. Patience was a virtue for the virtuoso inside the penalty area. He cut back off his right foot and shook his marker Gerard Pique, opening up a left-footed shot that he buried in spite of the challenge from Sergio Ramos (pictured, white #15) to give Netherlands a 2-1 lead. The Dutch counterattack was quite impactful on this night. van Persie had another shot at glory, this time smashing the crossbar from the top right side of the penalty area.  Within ten minutes, the lead was doubled. A Sneijder free kick from the left flank sailed to the back post. Casillas could not punch the ball as van Persie blocked his path. de Vrij rose above the challenge of Cesar Azpilicueta to head the ball down off his own foot and into the goal as he crashed into the far post with his body. The champions were down 3-1. Netherlands defender Bruno Martins Indi used his body to block a shot from Silva, but in the scramble, a cross came into to Pedro Rodriguez. Cillessen dropped down quickly to block the shot, and Silva was offside on the rebound. Casillas's nightmare continued as he got caught in possession by van Persie, who then slotted home into an open net for a 4-1 lead. Netherlands found a fifth as Sneijder sent a booming clearance turned through ball from his defensive third that led to Robben latching on and running out ahead of Ramos in the open field. Robben then cut back, got Casillas on the ground, and then rocketed the ball into the net for 5-1. Casillas made a world-class double save on Giorginio Wijnaldum and Robben with five minutes to go, but by then his defenders had little to no motivation to try and prevent the side from hemorrhaging more goals. Rodriguez worked hard for a late two-on-one against Cillessen, but he passed across the face of goal to Fernando Torres. Instead of tapping in first time with his left foot, Torres foolishly try to take a touch and tap in with his right, giving Cillessen time to recover and prevent a second goal.  Netherlands win the match in absolutely shocking fashion 5-1 to grab a hold atop Group B.

Goals
Netherlands
Robin van Persie 44, 72
Arjen Robben 53, 80
Stefan de Vrij 65

Spain
Xabi Alonso 27 PK

Match Reports:
http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/1879099/van-gaal-makes-del-bosque-suffer
http://soccer.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/06/13/netherlands-spain-world-cup-three-thoughts-rvp-casillas-robben-costa
http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/1879614/renovation-work-needed-for-sorry-spain

Highlights:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/videos/highlights/match=300186510/index.html