itsbeautifuloutside

Australia v Netherlands

Porto Allegre, 18th June 2014

Match Report

Long Distance Goal Information: Give Me Memphis Depay

Reasons to be hacked off with Liverpool #58: one of our two office Liverpool fans set up a last minute brainstorm for 5pm, which meant I missed the first half of this Group B encounter. And when I got back to my desk I found myself watching Holland v Russia from the 1988 Euros (we have TV screens around the office, you know).

Cue helpful colleague who explained that THAT Marco Van Basten goal was being compared with Tim Cahill’s screamer for Australia, which had levelled the game 60 seconds after Arjen Robben’s solo effort on 20 minutes.

And it’s only now - as I pad this report out by pinching stuff from Football365 - that I learn that Cahill also showed his bad side with a late challenge on Bruno Martins Indi, who was taken off on a stretcher, to earn a booking which sees the Australia talisman suspended for the (now pointless) game with Spain. See also my ‘Indi Banned’ post the other day.

Anyway, I had half an eye on the second half, which saw Robin van Persie cancel out Mile Jedinak's 54th-minute penalty with a fierce (it says here) strike into the roof of the net - before substitute Memphis Depay won the game for Holland on 68 with a 25-yard belter.

So, it’s Oranje Wednesday, as they qualify for the last 16. And Boo Hoo Socceroos.

skooba