Dutch launch campaign in style

JOHANNESBURG: The Netherlands got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory over Denmark thanks to an own-goal and a late tap-in from Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt.

The star-studded Dutch are among the favourites to win the World Cup but Bert van Marwijk’s side failed to impress at the same venue here as the pragmatic Danes defended well. An own goal by Danish defender Simon Poulsen at the start of the second-half and Kuyt’s 85th-minute effort were enough to give the Netherlands the three points.

“The players were a little tense and frustrated in the first-half, we wanted to play beautiful football, but we lost the ball too often,” said van Marwijk.

Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst won his 100th cap and despite the Dutch boasting a forward line including Arsenal striker Robin van Persie, supported by midfielders Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder, Kuyt and Real Madrid’s Rafael van der Vaart, the Danish defence held firm.

Japan off the mark against Cameroon

Japan beat a lacklustre Cameroon 1-0 in Bloemfontein through a Keisuke Honda goal to notch their first ever World Cup victory on foreign soil.

It was also a belated birthday present for Honda, who had turned 24 on Sunday.

The Blue Samurai, struggling for goals in the run-up to the tournament, took the lead in the 39th minute and held on for the remainder of the match despite increasing pressure from the African side in the second half.

Neither side looked capable of breaking the deadlock in a scrappy first half in which clear chances were in short supply until Daisuke Matsui manoeuvred the ball onto his left foot and delivered an inswinging cross from the right.

The ball eluded several defenders and the unmarked Honda stabbed it past the despairing dive of Hamidou Souleymanou to give Japan the lead. Japan came close to doubling their lead as time ran out, with substitute Shinji Okazaki, on for Matsui, hitting the post after a fierce shot by captain Makoto Hasebe was parried by Souleymanou.

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk

“We improved after the first goal and then you saw what we are capable of doing. We could have won by more.”

Denmark coach Morten Olsen

“The Dutch are perhaps not the favourites. But it is hard to play against a team which always keeps the ball, physically and mentally.”

Published in the Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2010.