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| June 28th 2005 |
Rio de Janeiro, Maracana
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| NETHERLANDS - ARGENTINA |
2-3 a.e.t. (1-1,2-2)
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GOALS 26' 0-1 Alfredo Di Stefano
31' 1-1 Faas Wilkes
60' 2-1 Willy van der Kuylen
78' 2-2 Alfredo Di Stefano
95' 2-3 Mario Alberto Kempes
REFEREE Romualdas Arppi Filho (Brazil)
ATTENDANCE 156,000
YELLOW CARDS Rijkaard, Wouters, Israël (NED) - Monti, Perfumo (ARG)
NETHERLANDS (Coach: Rinus Michels, system 4-3-3)
1 Jan van Beveren
2 Wim Suurbier (-102)
3 Frank Rijkaard
6 Rinus Israël
5 Ruud Krol
21 Jan Wouters (-102)
11 Willy van der Kuylen
10 Wim van Hanegem
20 Faas Wilkes (-59)
13 Beb Bakhuys
14 Johan Cruijff (captain)
Substitutes:
8 Ruud Gullit (+59)
9 Marco van Basten (+102)
4 Ronald Koeman (+102)
ARGENTINA (Coach: Cesar Luis Menotti, system 4-4-2)
1 Ubaldo Matildo Fillol
2 Javier Adelmar Zanetti
18 Roberto Alfredo Perfumo
6 Daniel Alberto Passarella (captain)
3 Silvio Marzolini
7 Jorge Luis Burruchaga (-106)
8 Osvaldo Carlos Ardiles
4 Luis Felipe Monti
10 Diego Armando Maradona
9 Alfredo Di Stefano (-115)
15 Gabriel Omar Batistuta (-84)
Substitutes:
14 Mario Alberto Kempes (+84)
21 Antonio Ubaldo Rattin (+106)
19 José Manuel Moreno (+115)
MATCHREPORT
Would it be Maradona who would take the game in hand, or still Cruijff? When not, then maybe Di Stefano or even Van Hanegem? Both
teams before the match stated that they wanted be in command on the field. No waiting for mistakes by the opponent, but take the initiative
themselves. Defensively Holland seemed to be a bit better but Argentina still had this unbelievable threesome Maradona-Di Stefano-Batistuta
up front. And no team so far had been able to control them. Rinus Michels decided that Jan Wouters, replacement for the suspended
Neeskens, would play against Maradona. Suurbier got the task to follow Di Stefano, Rijkaard would be the man to mark Batistuta. Javier
Zanetti would take care of Johan Cruijff, certainly the biggest challenge in his career. Menotti replaced suspended Ruggeri by Perfumo who
would mark dangerous Beb Bakhuys.
The starting minutes were all Dutch. The Oranje-men took the game in hand and most of all Van Hanegem and Wouters excelled. Wouters
played surprisingly deep during possession, Maradona even had to defend a bit, something he hadn't experienced in the All Time World Cup
so far. But the outstanding player in that first half was Wim van Hanegem. Ardiles couldn't hold the leftfooted genius who provided his
strikers with intelligent passes, short and long, that caused chances. Bakhuys could have, maybe should have converted one of them after
just 5 minutes, Fillol saved the shot from short distance with a reflex. Moments later Israël headed just wide from a Cruijff free kick. It brought
back memories from the World Cup 1978 final, when Holland had chances too to take the lead. Just like then it didn't happen.
When Cruijff, after brilliantly moving past two defenders, had hit the post with a blasting shot, Argentina took the lead with their first serious
attack of the evening. Holland as so often played a very attackminded game leaving space for a quick counter attack. From midfield Luis
Monti released a great pass to Di Stefano who left Suurbier and Israël behind and rounded Van Beveren before scoring: 0-1. It was the 4th
goal of the competition for the marvellous striker. How would the Dutch react? Who they bow their heads or increase the pressure? Some of
the players looked depressed at first but Van Hanegem and Israël showed them the way. Faas Wilkes was the first to respond. And
immediately it was all even again. Van Hanegem sent the ball into the box, Passarella beat Bakhuys in the air but Wilkes was exactly in the
right place. A low drive, too mighty for Fillol: 1-1.
The match now was on fire. Argentina fought themselves back into the match though Holland remained the better team. Both had their
chances. Van Beveren showed his magnificent form when he kept a bomb from Batistuta out and on the other end Bakhuys missed a cross
from Van Hanegem by an inch. Holland played very well, the only thing they could blame themselves for was failing to score enough. And
that had been the strength of Argentina until that moment, making the most of rather few possibilities. Half time came with 1-1. Rijkaard and
Wouters (for fouls on Di Stefano and Maradona) as well as Monti (for a late tackle on Wilkes) went into the dressing room with a yellow card
to their belt.
After the break the same picture. Argentina were pushed back, Maradona saw little of the ball because Holland would disturb the Argentinian
build-up at a very early stage. Passarella was the only defender capable of playing up against the Dutch strikers, he saved numerous times
when Perfumo and Zanetti ended up short but this way the captain however was limited in going forward. And in the end he couldn't help
Holland taking the lead. In the 60th minute it happened. And it was deserved. It started again with Van Hanegem. He took the ball from
Burruchaga in midfield and sent Cruijff away on the left side. The Dutch captain who played his best match in the tournament ran past Zanetti
and crossed. Gullit, who had just come in for injured Wilkes, was beaten by Passarella but Van der Kuylen collected the ball on the edge of
the area and fired it home: 2-1 for Holland, the final seemed near for Michels and his fellows. And though the Argentines possessed enough
class to score at any time, it seemed that a third Dutch goal would decide everything.
Argentina would not be Argentina if they had not done everything possible to fight themselves back. If necessary, literally. Led by Passarella
and Monti, two of the biggest warriors the World Cup had ever seen, Argentina tried to find their way to Van Beveren's goal. Di Stefano
developed into the most dangerous player. He almost immediately after Van der Kuylen's 2-1 equalized but missed the goal only just.
Passarella headed a Maradona corner towards goal, Van Beveren saved it brilliantly. And Maradona, who at last could free himself from time
to time from Wouters, had a possibilty but this time Van Beveren had no problems. Of course Argentina offered Holland the chance to do
something from the break. And with players like Gullit and Cruijff Holland were well equipped. However in front of goal the lacked precision.
Gullit shot wide from 18 metres, a very good chance for a man with his powerful shot. Holland would pay the price for not scoring the third.
Ten minutes from time, with Holland defending but in the driving seat, it happened as yet. Argentina's equalizer was on it's way. Burruchaga
outplayed Krol and sent a low cross into the box. Nobody could reach it, except Di Stefano. Always in the right spot, he controlled the ball
and scored in stumbling fashion the dramatic equalizer from 7 metres. Van Beveren was without a chance. The match could start all over again
but all of a sudden both teams seemed to have lost their daring. Neither of them accepted the risk of running into the all decisive break. The
remaining time provided no single further chance. The match went directly into extra-time, for Holland another attack on their physical
endurance after the quarter final against France.
In extra time Argentina started best. And it paid off quickly. First Di Stefano - Suurbier never found the right answer - with a header hit the
post, Kempes did it better. Maradona provided the cross, Kempes - a substitute for Batistuta - rose above Rijkaard and beat Van Beveren: 2-3
for Argentina. Holland had to adjust to a new situation again. Michels responded by taking off both Suurbier and Wouters. With Van Basten
he brought an extra centre forward, with Ronald Koeman a second player to Van der Kuylen with a thunderous shot. Menotti found an
answer by bringing in Rattin. Burruchaga, who had worked like a horse, went off. But Holland knew they had little time left, searched the
attack and found it. Koeman and Van der Kuylen both missed the goal only just, Fillol sensationally saved with his foot from a Bakhuys
header. Bakhuys had been controlled pretty well by the cooperation of Perfumo and Passarella but in extra time he was there again. Still
without success.
The last ten minutes of extra time was like a one-way traffic. Holland wouldn't stop attacking and appeared to be remarkably fit. Argentina
could hardly leave their own half. Cruijff and Gullit remained on the sideline leaving space to run in for Israël and Rijkaard. Koeman and Van
der Kuylen constantly positioned themselves around the edge of the box trying to convert a loose ball. Van der Kuylen was very close to
scoring 3-3 when his shot cracked the bar above Fillol, and Van Basten could have saved his tournament completely by scoring from a Krol
cross. His header however was kicked from the line by Marzolini. Rijkaard was close too from the following corner, Fillol grabbed it before it
crossed the line. One minute from time, it was Holland's last opportunity.
It was over for the Dutch, Michels and his men once more found their masters on the finish line. When referee Arppi Filho, beside Van
Hanegem, Passarella and Di Stefano the best man on the pitch, blew the end again the picture remained of a Dutch team that had played a
fantastic match against superb opposition, that had been better than the opponent, but still hadn't been able to win the match. Israël, Gullit
and Rijkaard were down and out on the pitch, couldn't believe that their campaign was over. Argentina had again possessed too much class
in attack. This time Maradona had been relatively pale, but Di Stefano had filled the gap and taken the starring role. For Holland the 3rd place
match was all that left, Michels could only hope he could find 11 players mentally capable of playing that meaningless match. Argentina
however advanced to the final. Passarella had done it again, Maradona and Di Stefano were only one match away from eternal fame, Batistuta
finally made it to the final. Italy-Argentina, a great fixture, a beautiful final in a beautiful tournament. It would be a match between the magical
"tridente" Maradona-Di Stefano-Batistuta against the "wall" Bergomi-Ferri-Baresi-Maldini, a clash between two giants Benetti and Monti in
midfield as well as the running machines Ardiles, Burruchaga and Tardelli. The Argentine defence had done pretty well to keep the Dutch
strikers to just 2 goal in 2 hours playing time, how would they fare against the Squadra?
Next Friday in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Brazil and Holland play their "little final". But neither of the two really wants it. Both Zagalo and
Michels, the coaches, have announced that many of their first choice players will be rested on their own demand. Apart from that, Luiz
Pereira and Rinus Israël are suspended. Jack Taylor, who had legitimate hopes for the final, missed out to East-German Rudi Glöckner but is
honoured to be the referee.
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