Dutch advance to quarter finals

Holland 3 Latvia 0

A Ruud Van Nistelrooy double helped Holland sweep past Latvia to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2004, with a helping hand from the Czech Republic.

Germany went into their game against the Czechs second in Group D but ultimately needed a win to qualify for the last eight as Holland took all three points in a 3-0 win over the Baltic outfit at Braga’s Municipal Stadium.

As it was, Germany crashed to a 2-1 defeat, allowing the Dutch to leapfrog them in the the table and set up a quarter-final clash against Sweden on Saturday.

Man of the match Ruud Van Nistelrooy put the Dutchmen on their way, converting a penalty after Edgar Davids was fouled inside the box and the Manchester United striker got his second – and fourth of the tournament – with a close-range downward header.

Bayern Munich’s Roy Makaay finished off Latvia’s dreams of reaching the quarter-finals of a major competition for the first time with Holland’s third goal.

With an efficient performance which relied on their ability to make the most of their chances, the Dutch controlled and dominated a game they had to win, following their draw against Germany in their opening game and their dramatic 3-2 loss against the Czechs.

Holland coach Dick Advocaat was forced to do without regular defenders Wilfred Bouma and Johnny Heitinga but had the experienced duo Frank de Boer and Michael Reiziger as sturdy replacements.

The Dutch fans reacted with boos and whistles as under-fire coach Dick Advocaat’s name reverberated around the stadium when the teams’ line-ups were announced shortly before kick-off.

In the very first minute, Clarence Seedorf tried his luck from distance, but his shot went way off-target.

Latvia reacted seconds later, with forward Maris Verpakovskis firing inches wide of goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s right post after his formidable run from the right wing.

But it was all Latvia could manage in the opening half with Holland continuously testing Latvia’s rearguard.

With 11 minutes played, goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko was forced to dive to his left to clear a powerful strike from Phillip Cocu.

A minute later, van Nistelrooy missed a golden opportunity to give his team the lead following a perfect assist from recently-signed Chelsea player Arjen Robben.

Kolinko was forced to come off his line to save the close-range shot from an unmarked van Nistelrooy, who should have done better.