subject: A Brief History Of Dutch Football [print this page] A Brief History Of Dutch Football A Brief History Of Dutch Football
Tomorrow the Netherlands will be playing in the final of the world cup for what will be the third time in their history yet if the Dutch loose it will be the first time a team has lost 3 finals without having won one. Of course in case of victory the Dutch will become only the eighth team ever to win a world cup which would be a great success for their football as it would be for any nation's. As for Holland's participation in the world cups, they started back in "France 38" when they in the first round were eliminated 3-0 by a strong team from Czechoslovakia. It being Czechoslovakia who had made it to the previous final only to loose to Italy by 2-1 in the first ever final which required overtime.
It would be many years before the Netherlands would return to the world cup yet it was in 1969 that Dutch team Ajax would make it to the final of the European Championship. It being in the final where they were defeated 4-1 by AC Milan yet a then youngster by the name of Johann Cruyf gave a demonstration of not only his talent but of the greats who would soon emerge from the Netherlands. Holland's team, Ajax had lost in the final yet it would be in the following year, in the 1970 final of the European Championship that another Dutch team would come back to claim the title. This time, it would be Feyernoord led by another Dutch great, Van Hanegem,; who defeated Scotland's Celtic to deliver the Netherlands their first European club champion.
The Netherlands however despite Feyernoord's victory in the European Championship would not go on to qualify to Mexico 70 yet Dutch football thanks to a new method called "total football" was getting stronger every year. It being in 1971 that Ajax would claim their first of three European championships which they won in consecutive years. This giving Ajax more European Championship titles than any other team in Europe with the sole exception of Real Madrid.
The Netherlands would qualify to Germany 74 where, they were expected not only to be a contender but show off their total football along with greats the likes of Neeskens, Krol, Repp, Van Hanegen, Resenbrink, Haan, Rene and Willie Van Derkerkhof added to the already famous Johan Cruyf; who made his debut in the Dutch first division at the age of 14. This perhaps being the reason he wore that precise number.
The Dutch would begin by rolling over two time world champions and the forth place team from the previous world cup, Uruguay; whom they beat by 2-0 thanks to two goals from Johnny Repp. It being Cruyf to set up both goals in a match that saw the Dutch not only win but entertain and dominate a team which they could have easily defeated by more goals had it not been for their outstanding goalkeeper, Mazurkiewicz.
The Netherlands had convinced in their first world cup match since 1938 and would go on to beat Bulgaria by 4-1 though Sweden would hold them to a 0-0 draw yet despite this the Dutch qualified to the second round first in their group. The Netherlands would however once again have to qualify in first place to reach the final in a group that included Argentina, East Germany and defending three time champions Brazil. The Netherlands for their part would start off most impressively with emphatic wins over Argentina by 4-0 and over East Germany by 2-0. All to set up an encounter with Brazil in which the winner would advance to the final yet the Dutch were in a position of only needing a draw to progress through to their fist final while nothing but a win would put Brazil in the final.
The match would be begin with Brazil trying to keep up with the Dutch yet it soon became clear that the Netherlands was superior which would require Brazilians to commit fouls which in today's game would have easily resulted in more than one red card. Brazil however managed thanks to at times brutal fouls and great saves by their goalkeeper, Leo to keep the score at 0-0 till the end of the first half. This in a match they were required to win yet a chance was still present for the defending champions to make it through to yet another final however on this day the Dutch; not only would not be denied passage to their first final but a victory. This victory being more than deserved as the Netherlands dominated Brazil through out the entire match and it would be thanks to two spectacular second half goals that Holland would beat Brazil by 2-0. Holland's goals being scored, first by Neeskens who thanks to a great pass from Cruyff was able to put the Netherlands in to the lead. Dutch pressure however would prove overwhelming as a second goal would come when Cruyff managed to once again beat Leo to give his team a commanding 2-0 lead which was even made more imposing given that Brazil was the team which had to win to get to the final. This putting the then defending champions in a position of having to not only score two goals to tie the match but three in order to win, for a draw would send the Dutch in to the final. The match however would end with a 2-0 Dutch victory and their passage to the final .
The final would be against the home team, Germany and it was the Dutch who kicked off. It being the Dutch players who touched the ball 22 times without a single German player coming in contact with the ball yet it was on this last touch that Johan Cruyff seemed to say that he had had enough of fooling around and would go for a goal. Cruyff finding the creativity to go through the German defense and past his marker, Vogts and in to the penalty box where he was left one on one with German goalkeeper, Maier yet just as the he was about to score; he was pulled down in the box. A blatant foul it was which gave the referee little option to call the first penalty in a world cup final. The penalty would be taken by Johan Neeskens, who blasted the ball past Sepp Maier, who in all truth had no chance to prevent his team from going down 1-0 at the 2 minute mark of the game. This being even till now the fastest goal ever scored in a final. The Germans were not only down by 1-0 just two minutes in to the match but had not even touched the ball and just as it appeared the Netherlands had it in them to totally defeat Germany; they for some reason stalled. As if they were satisfied with their lead or perhaps suddenly became complacent yet regardless of the reason, they allowed the Germans to climb back in the game and even get a penalty of their own which would be converted by Breitner. It being this goal which tied the game at one.
The game was tied yet momentum was clearly with Germany, who was getting closer and closer to taking the lead which came when Gerd Muller received a pass in the Dutch penalty box which he did not even control yet despite being sideward to the goal was able to turn and put the ball in to the net to give Germany a 2-1 lead. This goal also being Muller's 14th in world cup competition which at the time made him the highest scorer in the history of the world cup. The half would end with Holland trailing 2-1 and their momentum gone and to make matters worse, Cruyff received a yellow card during the intermission for arguing with English referee, Jack Taylor.
The Netherlands however would come out and bravely go forward yet the creativity that had been there before with so much abundance seemed to be gone on that day. As they attacked and though on one occasion, they would come so close as to require Breitner to clear the ball of the German goal line, the Netherlands would loose by a final score of 2-1 in what was the first final in which no goals were scored in the second half. The Netherlands loosing in a way which in my opinion was tragic yet not because Germany won or even because Holland lost but because they had not been able to perform the great football; they had up and till that moment in the tournament. Of course one could say that perhaps after the early penalty, English referee Taylor, gave Vogts to much license in how he could mark Cruyff yet the truth was that the Dutch magic was not there on that day in Munich when Germany won its second title.
The Netherlands would be back in Argentina 78 yet without their head coach, Rinus Michels as well as their star Johan Cruyff, who claimed his was an act of protest against the military dictatorship in Argentina. The Netherlands still with a great team and most of their 74 players managed to reach the final in what also was an impressive display of football perhaps made more so given that their system of total football was already well known by most teams through out the world. The system of "total football" being one in which every player defended and every player attacked. In the final, Holland however once again would loose to the home team which on that occasion was Argentina yet they came ever so close to winning when Resenbrink hit the post with one minute left in regulation time which would have almost surely given the Netherlands the championship if the ball had only gone in.
The Netherlands on two occasions had reached the final only to come up empty handed with Argentina 78 bringing about an end to that glorious era. The Netherlands would not even qualify for the following world cup. It being a 2-0 lose against France which would prevent the Dutch from competing in Spain 82. This match also being Neeskens's last for the Dutch national team. The Netherlands would even fail to qualify for Mexico 86.
Italia 90 would see a return of Dutch football yet they would not win a single game and would be handed elimination by Germany in a match which will be remembered for Holland's Rijkaard clearly spitting on German forward; Rudy Voller. Rijkaard going as far as to spit on Voller three times in front of world wide cameras before both players were sent off the field.
The Dutch would play in USA 94 yet would be eliminated in quarterfinals by the score of 3-2. Their defeat coming thanks to future champions Brazil in what was one of the greatest matches of the tournament. France 98 would see the Netherlands once again reach the semifinals in what could be said to have been a successful world cup for the Dutch yet they would be defeated by Brazil on penalties and eventually have to settle for fourth place. This after loosing to Croatia by 2-1 in the match for third place.
The Netherlands once again would fail to qualify to a world cup when it was Ireland who eliminated them from Japan/South Korea yet they would return in Germany 2006. It being there were they lost to Portugal by 1-0 in a game which would set a record for most yellow cards ever handed out in a world cup match. The Netherlands however are back in this world cup, clearly as strong as ever and perhaps now they will be able to capture that title which they came ever so close to obtaining in both Germany 74 and Argentina 78. It being Spain whom they will have to defeat in order to become the eighth nation to be crowned world champion.
