Share

Robben: Netherlands need World Cup miracle

Amsterdam - Unless the Netherlands can beat Sweden by a seven-goal margin on Tuesday the inventors of the beautiful game will be absent from the 2018 World Cup finals.

Having missed the cut for Euro 2016 the Netherlands sit third in Group A and can make the play-offs only with a high-scoring win over second-placed Sweden after a poor start to their campaign.

Netherlands coach Dick Advocaat, who took over from Danny Blind four games ago, is in no mood to concede defeat however.

"7-0 is possible," he claimed.

"Sweden have just beaten Luxembourg 8-0 so why can't we do the same to them," he reasoned.

Veteran Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben takes a more realistic line.

"It's over," he said. "Mathematically it's still possible of course, but we need a miracle."

That miracle will have to be achieved without fading 33-year-old Wesley Sneijder, who has been a cornerstone of much of their past success but whose current form is deemed not good enough by Advocaat.

"Personally, I'd have liked him to be here," said Robben, "but the decision is with the coach."

Robben, Sneijder and Robin Van Persie led the way for the Netherlands in their celebrated orange shirts, romping to the 2010 final in South Africa only to be narrowly beaten by Spain.

At the Brazil World Cup under Luis Van Gaal in 2014 they ripped Spain apart and made a fine run to the semi-finals and another narrow defeat, this time by Lionel Messi's Argentina, themselves now on the brink of disaster.

Whether or not the Dutch scrape into the play-offs, assistant coach Ruud Gullit has warned of a worrying trend that sees young Dutch players moving abroad, but then not playing first-team football.

"That's the biggest problem that we have," Gullitt told AFP ahead of the game. "We warned players, young players, to stay in Holland and play first-team football. Because then, later on when you're good enough, you will get to places anyway."

Sweden can still win the group should France lose to Belarus and they themselves beat the Dutch.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE