Showing posts with label van der Vaart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label van der Vaart. Show all posts
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal booked their Euro 2012 quarter-final place with a 2-1 win against Netherlands in Kharkiv.
The Portuguese captain defied criticism of his performances with a magnificent display to secure second place in Group B and a last-eight meeting with the Czech Republic.
The Dutch suffered a third defeat in as many games, wilting after Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring with a superb goal on 11 minutes.
Thereafter Portugal - in particular Ronaldo - ran riot. The Real Madrid forward scored on 28 and 74 minutes, and struck the woodwork twice for good measure.
He has now scored in three European Championship finals, and made amends for his wayward shooting against Germany and Denmark.
Knowing his team had to win by at least two goals to have any chance of going through, Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk bowed to public pressure by bringing Van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar into an attacking formation.
He sacrificed skipper Mark van Bommel and Ibrahim Afellay, while Ron Vlaar replaced Johnny Heitinga at the back.
The change appeared to pay immediate dividends, as the Dutch tore into their opponents from the off, with Robin van Persie operating as a deep striker behind Huntelaar, and Van der Vaart even deeper in central midfield.
And it was Van der Vaart, wearing the captain's armband, who broke the deadlock with a peach of a strike, taking Arjen Robben's lay-off and curling a 20-yard shot into the left corner of Rui Patricio's net.
That goal sent Denmark through on the 'as it stands' table, though Portugal were soon back in second place when Germany took the lead against the Danes in Lviv. The table changed again when Denmark equalised, but back in Kharkiv Portugal had started to dominate.
The flipside of Van Marwijk's attacking formation was that his side looked extremely porous in midfield, and Portugal flowed through them with ease.
Ronaldo hit the outside of the post, before Helder Postiga missed a one-on-one following a terrible Gregory van der Wiel backpass.
Ronaldo went close again with a header Maarten Stekelenburg clawed to safety, but he was not to be denied.
On 28 minutes sloppy play from the Jetro Willems gave Joao Pereira possession, and the Portugal right-back slid Ronaldo through with one of the passes of the tournament - and the Portugal captain found the net at last.
Holland, clad all in black, could not stem the red tide. Nani struck a low shot just wide, before Ronaldo stung Stekelenburg's hands with a long-range effort.
The second half brought a slight tactical shift from the Dutch, with Wesley Sneijder taking a more central role, but Van Marwijk did nothing to address the lack of bite in midfield.
The otherwise wasteful Postiga had the ball in the net on the hour mark when he turned in a Ronaldo shot, but his effort was rightly ruled out for offside.
Portugal continued to dominate, and were particularly potent on the counter-attack. On 66 minutes Ronaldo teed up his club-mate Fabio Coentrao, who brought a fine diving save from Stekelenburg.
Van Marwijk responded by removing a defender and bringing on Ibrahim Afellay - succeeding only in making his side more vulnerable on the break.
Shortly afterwards, Ronaldo teed up Nani, whose close range shot brought a brilliant save from Stekelenburg - but a more precise finish would have given the goalkeeper no chance.
There was no reprieve two minutes later, when roles were reversed and Nani supplied Ronaldo, who cut inside Van der Wiel and picked out the bottom-left corner.
That goal sparked an on-pitch row between Van der Vaart and Robben as the fractious Dutch saw their tournament definitively ended.
Van der Vaart at least hit the post with a curling right-foot effort, before the out-of-sorts Van Persie missed a clear opportunity.
There was still time for Ronaldo to crack a left-foot shot against the base of the right upright at the end of a thoroughly impressive performance.
Three games, three defeats. So ends a desperate tournament for the Netherlands.
Liverpool missed out on the chance to move up to sixth in the Premier League table after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
Not even the return of Luis Suarez was enough to stop the Reds sharing the points on their own turf for an eighth time in 12 league games this season.
The stalemate means that Liverpool remain in seventh place, where they are now one point behind Arsenal. Tottenham remain in third following their first goalless draw of the season, five points behind Manchester United and seven short of leaders Manchester City.
This match had been circled in the calendar for many weeks by Liverpool fans because it marked the return from suspension of Suarez. The Uruguay forward was eligible to play for the Reds for the first time since Boxing Day after he completed his eight-match suspension.
However, it looked for a time as though he would again be denied the right to play as a thick fog settled over Anfield which threatened to see the match postponed. Referee Michael Oliver ruled the game could go ahead, but the conditions on a wintry evening in England were enough to make Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp miss the game as his flight from London was cancelled.
Mercifully the fog lifted as kick-off approached, giving all of Anfield a better chance to catch a glimpse of Suarez on the bench and for a phalanx of photographers to snap England manager Fabio Capello in the stand.
Spurs came into this fixture with a host of key players missing, although they were least affected by their absentees at the back as Michael Dawson and Ledley King started together for the first time this season.
Dawson had the Anfield crowd on their feet in the opening five minutes when he felled Andy Carroll with a sliding tackle inside the box after a weighted pass from Steven Gerrard, but Oliver correctly saw that it was a fine challenge from the Spurs defender.
Last Tuesday saw Everton's match with Manchester City at Goodison Park stopped due to a man handcuffing himself to a goalpost, and less than a week later another match on Merseyside was halted by a pitch invader when a cat ran on to the field. The ash grey feline scampered across the turf and past a bemused Brad Friedel before a steward calmly gathered it up.
That intrusion proved to be the main talking point of a first half in which both sides passed the ball around well in midfield but were largely unable to trouble the opposition keeper.
Jay Spearing had one fearsome strike from range but the ball swerved wide and struck the stanchion behind the net. The Liverpool midfielder still awaits his first goal for the club.
Glen Johnson forced a save from Friedel's legs just before half-time, but there was little to separate the two teams at the break.
The home crowd were made to wait for Suarez to be introduced as neither side made a change at the break.
Martin Kelly stung the palms of Friedel from range near the hour mark, but the game was given a big lift when Suarez did eventually make his entrance on 66 minutes.
He appeared to have lost none of his livewire movement or cunning guile during his absence as he was immediately involved, though the more infamous side of his game also emerged soon enough as he earned a booking for a boot to the midriff of Scott Parker less than five minutes after coming on.
Another Liverpool booking soon afterwards went to Martin Skrtel when the Slovakian defender lunged in with a challenge that caught Gareth Bale on the shin. Other officials may have seen that incident differently.
Carroll fired over the bar when he should have at least tested Friedel before Suarez was the most striking example of a Liverpool player who failed to meet a good delivery with a dangerous header.
Bale - who had earlier earned a booking for an act of simulation - could have won the game for Spurs when he beat the offside trap with five minutes remaining. The Welshman was one-on-one with Pepe Reina but the decision to finish through the Spaniard's legs was the wrong call.
With Suarez back among their ranks Liverpool can have fresh cause for optimism, but the fact they had 15 shots against Spurs and were once again unable to find a winner will be of great cause for concern.
Tottenham assumed second place in the Premier League table after a convincing 3-0 win over 10-man Bolton at White Hart Lane.
It took Gareth Bale just seven minutes to put the hosts in front, exploiting sloppy marking with a cool finish, before Gary Cahill was harshly shown a straight red card for a challenge on Scott Parker.
A barrage of pressure and chances ensued from the rampant home side scored through Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe in a second half blitz to secure the three points which lift Harry Redknapp's side above Manchester United into second place.
An injury to Ledley King meant William Gallas was handed his first Premier League start of the season and Defoe was again preferred to Rafael van der Vaart as Tottenham looked to stretch their unbeaten run to 11 matches, while Bolton made one change to the team that lost 2-0 to Everton, with Dedryck Boyata coming in for the suspended David Wheater in defence.
Gary Speed had a three-and-a-half year spell at Bolton, and a minute's applause preceded kick-off in tribute to the Welshman, and within seven minutes Bale made a tribute to his former Wales boss after opening the scoring.
Bale stole in at the near post to stab home from Luca Modric's corner in clinical fashion after slack marking from Bolton enabled him to net his sixth goal of the season and fifth in four league games, before whipping off a red boot and holding it aloft.
Spurs continued to control the possession, but it was Stuart Attwell's decision to send off Cahill in the 18th minute which effectively invited the rout. Zat Knight put his defensive partner under undue pressure with a poor pass before the Tottenham target carved down Parker just inside the Bolton half and was dismissed on the dubious grounds of being the last man.
What followed was a near relentless stream of Spurs pressure as Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced to make a string of stunning saves. One such stop saw the inspired Finn deny Defoe with his legs in the 24th minute as the forward raced into the box and latched on to Aaron Lennon's pinpoint cross.
Seconds later at the other end, Brad Friedel had to effectively wake himself up to backtrack hastily and tip Chris Eagles's shot over the bar after the ball took a vicious deflection off Younes Kaboul.
Owen Coyle was forced to introduced Gretar Steinsson on the half hour mark at the expense of Fabrice Muamba in a tactical reshuffle, with Bolton's defensive ranks in desperate need of bolstering.
A flurry of clear-cut chances followed, with Bale driving a wild shot over the bar from close range, and Jaaskelainen making a superb double save to deny the Welshman and Defoe seconds later as the hosts continued to press forward incessantly.
Finally, the second goal arrived just five minutes after the restart as Kyle Walker, Emmanuel Adebayor and Defoe all combined to good effect before Lennon shuffled inside from the right with exquisite footwork before crashing an emphatic finish beyond Jaaskelainen into the far corner of the net.
It was Tottenham's turn to feel aggrieved in the 56th minute as Benoit Assou-Ekotto zipped down the left, cut inside and was clumsily tripped inside the Bolton box by Kevin Davies, but referee Attwell again defied expected decision and awarded a corner to the disbelief of the home fans.
But the feeling of discontent did not last for long as Defoe marked the hour with a cool finish after more diabolical marking from a set piece cost Bolton dearly as the forward was afforded a simple goal from a corner.
Jaaskelainen further distinguished himself late on with fine saves from Bale and Parker as the Bolton goalkeeper spared his side the ignominy of a real thrashing, while the woodwork came to the visitors rescue when the Finn was eventually beaten Defoe as drove a low shot against the near post.
Spurs have now won six consecutive Premier League games for the first time in the club's history while leapfrogging United into second place in the table, albeit with the champions facing Aston Villa in the late kick-off, while Coyle was left to bemoan a poor refereeing decision and his side's frailties at the back after another chastening defeat.
Tottenham Hotspur pulled off an incredible comeback to win 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium and claim their first Premier League victory at Arsenal since 1993.
Arsenal led 2-0 at half-time thanks to goals from Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh, but Spurs levelled it up through a fine Gareth Bale finish and a Rafael van der Vaart penalty.
Younes Kaboul scored a late glancing header to complete an astonishing turnaround and silence the Emirates.
Tottenham came into the game without an away win against the 'Big Four' in a staggering 68 attempts. And it looked like that run would continue as the Gunners eased into a commanding position.
There was a suitably combative start. After Nasri refused to shake his former colleague William Gallas's hand in the pre-match formalities, the Arsenal man was released in the first minute, only to be dispossessed by a muscular Gallas challenge.
The pair apparently did not speak during Gallas's final season at the club, when he was relieved of the club captaincy, and the defender inadvertently caught his rival in the face with a flailing arm in the act of winning the ball.
But Tottenham's optimism soon turned into a familiar sinking feeling as Arsenal seized control of the game and the visitors went behind to an eminently avoidable goal.
Heurelho Gomes had already flapped at once cross when Cesc Fabregas sent Nasri through the middle with a fine, raking pass.
Nasri's first touch was heavy and Gomes appeared to have the situation under control as he slid out to claim the ball - but his challenge was limp, the ball squirted free and Nasri finished from an outrageous angle, rolling the ball in deftly from the left.
Arsenal grew in confidence, and exploited a Tottenham side missing a designated defensive midfielder with some slick passing.
One particularly excellent move was started and finished by Fabregas, as Arsenal worked the ball from left to right and back again, before the Arsenal skipper dragged his shot wide.
It was two on 27 minutes as the home side launched a magnificent counter-attack that culminated in Andrei Arshavin crossing low from the left and Chamakh touching the ball neatly past Gomes from eight yards.
Tottenham eventually grabbed a foothold in the game, even though Bale found his space restricted and Van der Vaart cut a frustrated, unhappy figure.
The Dutchman had a couple of long-range sighters while Luka Modric shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski, and a succession of corners came to nothing.
Jermain Defoe, returning from an ankle injury, replaced Aaron Lennon at half-time and Spurs attacked with a narrower formation as Van der Vaart cut inside from the right.
Within five minutes the move paid off as Defoe surprisingly won a header in midfield. It fell for Van der Vaart, who chested down and played in Bale, who steered a delightful finish past Fabianski into the left corner.
Arsenal continued to dominate possession, but they failed to test Gomes, and were made to pay following an inexplicable act of stupidity from Fabregas on 67 minutes.
Van der Vaart hit a free-kick towards the wall, and the Arsenal captain raised his arm to stop the ball. A blatant and unnecessary handball, and a penalty.
The Dutchman stepped up and sent the ball into the left corner as Fabianski dived the other way.
Arsene Wenger responded by replacing Chamakh with Robin van Persie, and his team soon had the ball in the net through Sebastien Squillaci, though it was rightly chalked off for offside.
Fabregas volleyed over from the edge of the box, and finally worked Gomes with a curling 20-yarder that looked destined for the right corner before the keeper tipped it athletically behind.
Laurent Koscielny was then guilty of a terrible miss, sending a free header over from six yards after a Van Persie cross.
And Kaboul made the Gunners pay, with Van der Vaart again the creator. His curling free-kick from the right was glanced on by the Frenchman, and it nestled in the left corner of the net past Fabianski's desperate dive.
Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford in a match marred by a farcical second goal scored by Nani.
Spurs' woeful record when visiting the Red Devils was maintained thanks to Nemanja VIdic's header on the half-hour mark.
Nani then doubled the lead late on in farcical circumstances. Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes placed the ball down inside his box in the belief that Spurs had been awarded a free-kick for what he thought was a dive by the Portuguese - but referee Mark Clattenburg, who never blew his whistle, allowed the forward to casually trot up to the ball and knock it into the unguarded net.
The linesman raised his flag to disallow the goal, but Clattenburg overruled his assistant, despite Nani handling the ball after hitting the ground under pressure from Younes Kaboul, believing play had stopped. The goal stood, and the incident can now be added to the list of controversial events in the recent history of this fixture.
However, for all the mentions of incidents involving Pedro Mendes, Howard Webb or anyone else, the fact remains that the last time the Londoners won at Old Trafford, Gary Lineker scored the winner.
Spurs winger Gareth Bale, 21, was just five months old when his club claimed that 1-0 win, whilst the United full-back who did such a good job of controlling him, Rafael da Silva, had not even been born.
Despite Rafael managing largely to neutralise the Welshman's threat, Spurs still offered plenty in this match with, predictably, Rafael van der Vaart at the heart of all that was good about their play.
After a bright start from United - in which Park Ji-sung struck the post with a fierce low 20-yard drive - the Dutchman responded by hitting the woodwork at the other end with a rasping shot that crashed off the crossbar with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar well beaten, before flashing another strike over the target.
Park bent an effort wide of the Spurs upright, and Rafael did likewise after a slaloming run into the area but, before the skill and guile on show, it was the most basic of goals that broke the deadlock.
Javier Hernandez drew a foul from Spurs defender Younes Kaboul out on the right, and Nani's inviting free-kick was met by a timely run from the unmarked Vidic, who glanced his header past Gomes for his second of the season.
Unperturbed by going behind, Spurs continued to threaten, and a smart corner from Van der Vaart was clipped back to Luka Modric, who forced a decent save from Van der Sar - who became the ninth player over 40 years of age to play in the Premier League with this appearance.
After the break the match began to lose much of the preceding tempo and attacking ambition, with United gradually putting the squeeze on Spurs.
Bale marauded across the pitch before flashing a strike wide of the far post, before substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko's shot from distance deflected off Vidic and almost beat Van der Sar, but in general chances were at more of a premium
After Nani's comical goal doubled United's lead, the Portuguese seemed determined to score a genuine strike, and fired in a dipping rocket from distance that clipped the top of the crossbar.
To compound Tottenham's misery at yet again leaving Old Trafford with nothing save for frustration and a sense of injustice, Van der Vaart was substituted in the latter stages after feeling a twinge in his hamstring, a worrying sign ahead of their Champions League clash with Internazionale in midweek.
Coach
* Bert van Marwijk
Goalkeepers
* Sander Boschker
* Maarten Stekelenburg
* Michel Vorm
Defenders
* Khalid Boulahrouz
* Edson Braafheid
* Johnny Heitinga
* Joris Mathijsen
* André Ooijer
* Gregory van der Wiel
Midfielders
* Ibrahim Afellay
* Nigel de Jong
* Demy de Zeeuw
* Stijn Schaars
* Wesley Sneijder
* Mark van Bommel
* Giovanni van Bronckhorst
* Rafael van der Vaart
Strikers
* Ryan Babel
* Eljero Elia
* Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
* Dirk Kuyt
* Arjen Robben
* Robin van Persie
