Spain 1-5 Netherlands (Group B, Matchday 2)

This is a result that will shook the world of football to its very foundation. Shock waves has been sent across the globe by the Dutch to declare that they really mean business in this edition of the World Cup. What a match! What a story! It was just simply magical!

Spain

Started the game well by keeping possession like they always did. Had a few chances as well but their finishing was poor. It was not that poor, but it seems that the Spanish team wanted to score 'pretty' goals instead of just scoring. David Silva had a few chances himself and wasted it.

Xabi Alonso scored from the spot from a 'foul' on Diego Costa. How many times are the officials are going to get these vital decisions wrong? Although it does add an extra element of 'drama' in the match itself but the other team would feel hard done by.

The defending world champions seems to lose their way when they conceded the third goal. Although their 'tiki-taka' was visible, but there were not really making meaningful passes nor penetration compared to their opening half.

To make matters worse, their trusted goalkeeper Iker Casillas made a school boy error and conceded the fourth goal.

And things just got worse for the defending champions as they conceded another goal later on.


Netherlands

Where do we start? They started the match very passively. Letting the Spanish dominating possession and toying them around. I really think that when they conceded the penalty, (which was not really a penalty) that woke them up and the Dutch started playing football.

Daley Blind

This is the man responsible for the Dutch's comeback. At only 24 years of age, playing at left back, he showed to the world what he is capable of. Providing two exquisite crosses to put Netherlands in front was the highlight of his night. He first provided Van Persie who finished the cross with a diving header to beat Casillas. The second was almost similar but it was to Robben who then skinned two defenders before slotting the ball in to the empty net.

The Spanish just could not find a way back nor the confidence to get back in the match. Sneijder than assisted the next two goals for the Dutch. His free kick was finished off by the Feyenoord skipper Stefan De Vrij. Sneijder than provided a through ball for Robben to scored the final goal of the match his second of the game.

In between these two goals, Van Persie capitalized on a schoolboy error from Casillas to make it 4-1 to the Dutch and completing his brace.

Louis Van Gaal was successful in exposing the weakness of the Spanish central defense. Lack of pace and strength. Van Gaal also had his tactics spot on by beating Spain's offside trap and having his fast pace strikers and wingers having a go at the Spain defenders.

It totally paid off! I am pretty sure that not even Van Gaal could have dreamt of this scoreline. Beating the defending world champions 5-1.

But let's not jump on the Dutch's bandwagon too fast. They are also known to pass the group stage with flying colors only to throw it all away during the knockout stages. That aside, the Dutch deserved to celebrate their performance and thumping victory against the Spanish side!

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