|
|
Other News |
The Dutch checks the Czechs |
|
News |
|
|
June 13, 2000
AMSTERDAM, JUNE 12 (AP) - It was a fight not to lose. Not to lose the opening match, lose face, lose the appreciation of their fans or lose ground in a frighteningly tough Group of Death.
Co-hosts the Netherlands came out the winners over the Czechs, eking past them 1-0 thanks to a successful - though contentious - penalty kick by team captain Frank De Boer, though whether their floundering performance in the second half impressed their fans is another question.
Either way, it was an important win for the Dutch, drawn a group comprised of four previous Euro champions. With the Dutch facing the French in their final group match, a defeat would have left them vulnerable.
Instead it is the Czechs who will be left exposed.
"In every tournament you need luck and today we had it," said veteran Dutch defender Frank De Boer. "So now we can finally start playing football."
The Netherlands, looking to recapture the title they won in 1988, had sworn they would combine attractive football with effectiveness.
They almost failed to keep either promise.
The team, which had been desperate to match co-hosts Belgium's 2-1 victory over Sweden in the opening game of the tournament Saturday, delighted the 40,000 noisy orange-clad fans stuffed into the Amsterdam Arena, with a strong start against the tentative Czechs.
But the team's fans fell into a stony silence in the second half as the national squad came apart at the seams, with the Czechs suddenly taking control of the match.
Keeping the ball in the Dutch zone for the better part of 45 minutes, the Czechs created one scoring chance after another, peppering Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Saar with clever shots.
"We gave away too much space in the second half," said Dutch striker Clarence Seedorf. "We lost patience and we just couldn't get it right."
Only a controversial penalty kick in the 89th minute, when Italian referee Pierluigi Collina called a penalty on Jiri Nemec for getting hold of Ronald De Boer's shirt, prevented the Dutch from absorbing another dreaded tie.
Frank De Boer, Ronald's twin brother, stepped up to score the penalty, seal the victory for the Dutch, and allow the team to leave the arena breathing easy.
But the Czechs, who felt the call was not merited, would leave the field feeling cheated, suffering their first defeat in two years to end a streak of 10 matches undefeated.
Even former Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff, commenting on television, said he felt there had been no foul.
"Sorry, that's life," Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard told Czech coach Jozef Chovanec as the two made their way from the bench after the match.
Rijkaard avoided questions about the penalty, saying instead, "it's true, the Czechs were unlucky today. To be honest, in the second half, the Czechs were the better team."
On their side, the Czechs felt the call was scandalous.
"The referee should not be allowed to referee anymore matches," Koller hotly declared of Italian Pierluigi Collina, who called the penalty.
"Never have I lost a game in such a fashion," said Czech coach Jozef Chovanec.
The Dutch will next face Denmark on June 16 in Rotterdam, considered the easiest of the four teams, while the Czechs will take on France.
"This time we had luck on our side," said Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp. "I think against Denmark we'll have more space."
|