PREVIEW
▲Netherlands
▲Denmark
PHOTO: AFP
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk’s side face two dangers when they start their World Cup Group E campaign at Ellis Park today — opponents Denmark and the possibility of being too confident.
The Dutch, who sealed a place in the finals after winning all their qualifying matches, carried that form into their World Cup warm-up games and will kickoff among the favorites to finish as world champions in a month’s time.
Van Marwijk told reporters at the Dutch training base at Wits University in Johannesburg: “Yes, we did excellently in our warm-up matches, but we are taking nothing for granted against any opponents in the World Cup. We believe we can do well, and now we must go and do it.”
PHOTO: EPA
Expectations remains high at home that his team can go one better than the sides of 1974 and 1978 who lost in successive World Cup finals and there is a sense within the Dutch squad that they do not just want to win, but do it in style.
Striker Robin van Persie, who has netted four goals in three warm-up games, said he wanted to do more than just score goals in South Africa.
“Every striker is judged on the goals he scores, but I want to give more to the game. I’d be happy with more assists than goals,” he said. “That may sound odd, but that is my ambition because it will make the team better.”
The Dutch, who have not lost to Denmark for 43 years, will be without injured winger Arjen Robben (hamstring).
The match will be significant for captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who will become the fourth Dutchman to win 100 caps after Edwin van der Sar, Frank de Boer and Philip Cocu.
Netherlands’ strength lies in their attack, with the “Big Four” — as the Dutch media call them — of Van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Robben, when he returns from injury, the key to their success.
However, Denmark winger Dennis Rommedahl believes the towering Dutch expectations could give his side an advantage.
“The players are being realistic, but people in Holland and the media think that they only have to turn up and pick up the trophy,” he told reporters. “Everyone expects them to beat us quite easily and so we have nothing to lose on Monday, which can result in a surprise.”
With Robben likely to be replaced by the industrious Dirk Kuyt, for the opener at least, the Danish defense is going to be severely tested, but their coach Morten Olsen has faith in his side to deal with the threat.
“It’s all about how you play on the day,” Olsen said. “That’s the name of the game at the World Cup. You are only playing for four weeks and you have to maintain your form every day.”
Olsen, who celebrates 10 years as national team coach at the finals, has one main injury worry in striker Nicklas Bendtner.
The 22-year-old, who has been bothered by a nagging groin problem, has not played since May. He showed signs of returning to match fitness this week when he began training again with the squad, but has little chance of playing against the Netherlands.
Bendtner’s place is likely to be taken by Jon Dahl Tomasson or Soren Larsen, while first-choice goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen should be fully fit after recovering from a dislocated elbow.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS