Already qualified for South Africa 2010 and currently ranked 3rd in the FIFA’s world rankings. Technically always superb and the inventors of “total football” in the 1970s, Holland have underachieved in the international arena. Their failure has often been attributed to internal divisions and tension within the squad.
World Cup Pedigree:
Two consecutive World Cup Final defeats – both times against the host nation (West Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978) are the closest Holland have come to winning the biggest prize in football.
The next time they qualified for the finals was not until 1990. As European Champions they were highly fancied, but were gunned down by eventual winners Germany in the second round. At USA 94 they lost a classic quarter-final against Brazil after having come back from 2-0 down. In 1998 the two countries clashed again, this time in the semi-final, and Holland came closer still, only missing out on a place in the final by virtue of a penalty shoot-out. They failed to qualify again in 2002 and lost to Portugal in the second round of Germany 2006 in a match that is remembered for its ill-tempered nature, producing no fewer than sixteen yellow cards and four reds.
Greatest moment:
Winning Euro 88 with Ruud Gullit’s header and a sensational volley from Marco van Basten seeing off Russia in the final.
Biggest heartbreak:
Rob Resenbrink hitting the post in the last minute of normal time of the World Cup Final in 1978 with the score 1-1 – a couple of centimetres to the right and the Dutch would have been World Champions.
World Cup Pedigree:
Two consecutive World Cup Final defeats – both times against the host nation (West Germany in 1974 and Argentina in 1978) are the closest Holland have come to winning the biggest prize in football.
The next time they qualified for the finals was not until 1990. As European Champions they were highly fancied, but were gunned down by eventual winners Germany in the second round. At USA 94 they lost a classic quarter-final against Brazil after having come back from 2-0 down. In 1998 the two countries clashed again, this time in the semi-final, and Holland came closer still, only missing out on a place in the final by virtue of a penalty shoot-out. They failed to qualify again in 2002 and lost to Portugal in the second round of Germany 2006 in a match that is remembered for its ill-tempered nature, producing no fewer than sixteen yellow cards and four reds.
Greatest moment:
Winning Euro 88 with Ruud Gullit’s header and a sensational volley from Marco van Basten seeing off Russia in the final.
Biggest heartbreak:
Rob Resenbrink hitting the post in the last minute of normal time of the World Cup Final in 1978 with the score 1-1 – a couple of centimetres to the right and the Dutch would have been World Champions.
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