Dutch and Chile to battle for Group B top spot

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Netherlands and Chile may have already qualified for the World Cup’s round of 16, but both still want to win Group B and avoid the likely prospect of facing host nation Brazil in their next match.

Two of the tournament’s early high-fliers meet on Monday at Sao Paulo’s Itaquerao Stadium with the Netherlands requiring only a draw to top the group thanks to superior goal difference.

“If you look ahead a bit, in theory you are better off than if you come second,” Netherlands captain Robin van Persie said.

In part, that is because Brazil should win Group A — it is currently top and faces already-eliminated Cameroon in its final match — and will be the opponent for the runner-up in Group B. However, Van Persie said there are other tough nations on the horizon for the second-placed team.

“I’d really like to play them,” he said of Brazil, “but a little bit later” in the tournament.

The group winner also gets an extra day of rest before its next match.

Van Persie, who has scored three goals so far, is suspended for the game against Chile after picking up a yellow card in both matches so far — the stunning 5-1 destruction of Spain and a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Australia.



Van Persie is confident he won’t be too badly missed, given the depth of the Dutch squad. PSV Eindhoven forward Memphis Depay came on as a substitute against Australia and provided an assist before scoring his first international goal for the match winner. Schalke striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who has scored 34 goals in 62 internationals, is also waiting in the wings.

“The boys for the front positions train fantastically,” Van Persie. “We have a lot of good players.”

One of them already has three strikes to his name in Brazil, lightning fast winger Arjen Robben.

“Robben is very fast and the team is playing well,” said Chile midfielder Francisco Silva. “To counter their speed we’ll have to have a balanced game and close spaces.”

The Netherlands could also be missing central defender Bruno Martins Indi, who suffered a concussion after a late challenge by Australia’s Tim Cahill sent him tumbling heavily to the turf.

There is speculation that Chile might not be at full strength, either.

Coach Jorge Sampaoli could bench Juventus star Arturo Vidal and Charles Aranguiz, who scored one goal and set up the other in Chile’s 2-0 win against Spain.

Vidal, who underwent knee surgery last month and is still trying to regain his form, has hurt his right Achilles tendon, while Aranguiz has a minor sprain on his right knee. Both players also have a yellow card to their name.

In between beating Australia and Spain, Chile has clearly been studying the Dutch style of play — solid defense, pressure in midfield and passing quickly to their potent strike force.

“Based on what we saw, they’ll stay in the back, will try to press in the middle and, when they get the ball, will try to get it quickly to their strikers,” said Atalanta midfielder Carlos Carmona. “We have several days to work on ways to stop them from doing that.”

In good news for Dutch football purists, the Netherlands will pull on their traditional orange jerseys for the first time at this World Cup, having played in their blue away strip for the first two matches.

The Netherlands’ mantra ahead of its match against Australia — the lowest-ranked team at the tournament — was that the team would not underestimate the opponent. There’s no danger of underestimating Chile — a team ranked one place above the Dutch by FIFA.

“I saw bits of Chile against Spain and they looked very good. They looked fit, they looked strong, they played together,” Van Persie said. “So we’ve got a big task. It will be very hard to at least draw against them.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Mata helps United to 2-0 win over Cardiff

MANCHESTER, England  — With record signing Juan Mata slotting seamlessly into the team and fit-again Robin van Persie back to scoring again, a return to the good times could be just around the corner for Manchester United.

The English champions looked more like the United of old in a 2-0 win over Cardiff on Tuesday that revived their hopes of making up the ground to the top four — and put a smile back on the face of manager David Moyes.

Three days after sealing his high-profile move from Chelsea, Mata made his debut for United and showed glimpses of his class and vision in the 84 minutes he played to underline why the club splashed out 37.1 million pounds ($61.2 million) for the Spain playmaker.

Yet he was upstaged by the returning Van Persie, who marked his first game after seven weeks out with a thigh injury by heading United in front after six minutes.

Ashley Young added the second in the 59th minute and a substitute appearance from Wayne Rooney, who has also been struggling with injury, capped a satisfying night for Moyes. And there haven’t been many of them lately.

“To see Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney back on the touchline would have been enough to give everyone an uplift but then to have Juan Mata as well,” Moyes said. “The results with them will get much better.”

It all conspired to ruin the return to Old Trafford of Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who played 11 years at United from 1996-2007 and has a place in the club’s folklore after scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final.

Solskjaer was given a great reception from United fans, and responded by waving to all sides of Old Trafford, but his last-place team did little more than compete gamely. It was a bittersweet night for the Norwegian.

“With Rooney, van Persie, Mata (all playing), it was good timing coming to Old Trafford, wasn’t it?” Solskjaer said with a smile.

The atmosphere at Old Trafford has been subdued for much of Moyes’ turbulent first season in charge, but there was a real buzz inside the stadium as fans greeted first Mata then the returning Van Persie and finally Solskjaer with huge roars before kickoff.

Mata — wearing the No. 8 shirt and a pair of baggy shorts that almost covered his knees — hadn’t played a single minute since storming off the pitch after being substituted by Chelsea against Southampton on Jan. 1. Yet he was thrown straight in by Moyes.

The player many United fans are seeing as the cure to the team’s problems showed some neat touches and a willingness to play the ball over the top. Early on, his every touch was cheered by home supporters and he will be pleased to get almost a full match under his belt as he strives to regain full fitness.

“It was a very special day for me,” Mata said. “My debut, and a victory. It was perfect.”

Well, almost perfect. He didn’t score — the closest he came was when he forced a decent save from goalkeeper David Marshall in the 62nd. But by that time, United was 2-0 up and cruising.

Cardiff’s sluggish start had been punished by Van Persie, who nodded in from close range after Antonio Valencia’s header had crashed against the bar and Van Persie’s rebound effort was palmed back out to him by goalkeeper David Marshall.

The Dutchman’s presence up front seemed to galvanize United as much as the appearance of Mata. He lasted 63 minutes before being replaced by Rooney.

Four minutes earlier, Young had sealed the three points by picking up a pass from Mata, cutting in from the left wing and curling a low shot into the corner from outside the area.

“Don’t think because we have won tonight I have got a smile and am happy,” Moyes said. “I’m happy because we have got the three points but for where I want to go and the vision I have got for how I want my team to go, I have got a long way to go.”

United remained six points behind fourth-place Liverpool.

source: sports.inquirer.net