Dutch blow to Japan
Thursday, 14 August 2008
SHENYANG, Aug 13 : Forward Gerald Sibon duly slammed in a penalty in the second half to send the Netherlands into the quarterfinals of the Olympic men's soccer here Wednesday.
The Dutch was awarded the penalty in the 73rd minute, after Liverpool's Ryan Babel was hauled down at the edge of the area by Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda.
In the other match in the pool, Nigeria beat the United States 2-1, joining hands with the Netherlands to reach the knockout stage.
The Dutch lineup also include veteran striker Roy Makaay and Valencia's Hedwiges Maduro. But the star-studded squad lacked the prowess or luck to score.
"We have a number of good players but till now we don't have a real good team," said Dutch coach Foppe De Haan. "So we need a victory like this because that gives you some feeling that we are back."
"We know Japan could be a tough opponent because they have nothing to lose as they are already out of the tournament," said Makaay.
"I'm disappointed with the three losses, but we did see we were good at attacking and combinations," coach Sorimachi Yasuharu told a post-game press conference
In the first half, Ryan Babel nearly presented an own goal to consolate the Japanese which have already been eliminated after two group stage losses.
In the 36th minute, midfielder Urby Emanuelson curled a corner from the left to the front of the goal. The ball rebounded from Babel towards the goal, forcing Kenneth Vermeer to make an accurate save.
The Dutch was awarded the penalty in the 73rd minute, after Liverpool's Ryan Babel was hauled down at the edge of the area by Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda.
In the other match in the pool, Nigeria beat the United States 2-1, joining hands with the Netherlands to reach the knockout stage.
The Dutch lineup also include veteran striker Roy Makaay and Valencia's Hedwiges Maduro. But the star-studded squad lacked the prowess or luck to score.
"We have a number of good players but till now we don't have a real good team," said Dutch coach Foppe De Haan. "So we need a victory like this because that gives you some feeling that we are back."
"We know Japan could be a tough opponent because they have nothing to lose as they are already out of the tournament," said Makaay.
"I'm disappointed with the three losses, but we did see we were good at attacking and combinations," coach Sorimachi Yasuharu told a post-game press conference
In the first half, Ryan Babel nearly presented an own goal to consolate the Japanese which have already been eliminated after two group stage losses.
In the 36th minute, midfielder Urby Emanuelson curled a corner from the left to the front of the goal. The ball rebounded from Babel towards the goal, forcing Kenneth Vermeer to make an accurate save.