Van Marwijk hails final berth

Bert van Marwijk has described securing a place in the World Cup final as “unbelievable” after the Netherlands (5/4 to win the World Cup) ousted Uruguay in Tuesday’s semi-final.

The two-time finalists laboured to a 3-2 victory over the South American nation to set up a final date with either Germany or Spain on Sunday.

Despite having not been at their best Holland find themselves one game away from winning their first ever World Cup having lost to Argentina and West Germany in their two previous finals.

Uruguay were missing four key players but pushed Holland all the way in Cape Town after recovering from a slow start and could have gone through themselves.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave Holland the lead with one of the goals of the tournament before Diego Forlan equalised.

The Dutch toiled for much of the second half until Wesley Sneijder (3/1 top goalscorer) got the breakthrough on 70 minutes.

Arjen Robben quickly followed that up with a third before Maxi Pereira set up a nervy end with his goal in injury time.

However, Uruguay couldn’t find a third goal to force extra time and their brave World Cup campaign was brought to an end after another defensive minded performance from the Dutch.

Van Marwijk has come in for some criticism for his style of play which goes against the free-flowing football fans have come to expect from the Oranje.

The Feyenoord manager has admitted his brand of football isn’t the most attractive but claims Dutch fans won’t care if they win the World Cup on Sunday night.

“It’s amazing that we have managed to do this. It’s been 32 years,” he said.

“It is unbelievable. We can be very proud for such a small country.

“After the second and third (goals) we should have scored a fourth. That would have prevented that final phase.

“But this is a World Cup. It doesn’t matter how you do it, it’s all about the result.”

No doubt Van Marwijk will be watching Wednesday’s second semi-final with avid interest to discover who they will face in Soccer City.

Germany (evens to reach the final) have looked good throughout the tournament while Spain have stumbled their way through the proceeding rounds at times.

However, La Furia will no doubt give the Germans a tough match and it should be a close game to decide who will contest the final.

Holland should be full of confidence whoever they face having won every match they have played in the tournament thus far.

The Dutch are now the 5/4 favourites with totesport to win the World Cup while Spain have gone to 2/1 and Germany 11/5.

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Van Marwijk hails final berth

Bert van Marwijk has described securing a place in the World Cup final as “unbelievable” after the Netherlands (5/4 to win the World Cup) ousted Uruguay in Tuesday’s semi-final.

The two-time finalists laboured to a 3-2 victory over the South American nation to set up a final date with either Germany or Spain on Sunday.

Despite having not been at their best Holland find themselves one game away from winning their first ever World Cup having lost to Argentina and West Germany in their two previous finals.

Uruguay were missing four key players but pushed Holland all the way in Cape Town after recovering from a slow start and could have gone through themselves.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave Holland the lead with one of the goals of the tournament before Diego Forlan equalised.

The Dutch toiled for much of the second half until Wesley Sneijder (3/1 top goalscorer) got the breakthrough on 70 minutes.

Arjen Robben quickly followed that up with a third before Maxi Pereira set up a nervy end with his goal in injury time.

However, Uruguay couldn’t find a third goal to force extra time and their brave World Cup campaign was brought to an end after another defensive minded performance from the Dutch.

Van Marwijk has come in for some criticism for his style of play which goes against the free-flowing football fans have come to expect from the Oranje.

The Feyenoord manager has admitted his brand of football isn’t the most attractive but claims Dutch fans won’t care if they win the World Cup on Sunday night.

“It’s amazing that we have managed to do this. It’s been 32 years,” he said.

“It is unbelievable. We can be very proud for such a small country.

“After the second and third (goals) we should have scored a fourth. That would have prevented that final phase.

“But this is a World Cup. It doesn’t matter how you do it, it’s all about the result.”

No doubt Van Marwijk will be watching Wednesday’s second semi-final with avid interest to discover who they will face in Soccer City.

Germany (evens to reach the final) have looked good throughout the tournament while Spain have stumbled their way through the proceeding rounds at times.

However, La Furia will no doubt give the Germans a tough match and it should be a close game to decide who will contest the final.

Holland should be full of confidence whoever they face having won every match they have played in the tournament thus far.

The Dutch are now the 5/4 favourites with totesport to win the World Cup while Spain have gone to 2/1 and Germany 11/5.

Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.

Bayern Munich Bag Champions League Final Berth

post thumbnail

Bayern Munich champions league 300x225 Bayern Munich Bag Champions League Final BerthBayern Munich are through to the Champions League final after their 4-0 aggregate win over Lyon on Tuesday.

  • You Can Bet On This Cup Final: Champions League Final

Bayern secured a comfortable 3-0 away win against Lyon to seal their place in the final at the Bernabau in May. So what chance do Bayern Munich have against the finalists of either Inter Milan or Barcelona? If you ask their star man Arjen Robben that question his response is only one team:

“I want to play Inter, definitely,” Robben told Sky Sports.

“It’s better for us as a team. We can have difficulties against Barca, but it’s also because I want to play against Mourinho and Sneijder.”

Speaking about Bayern’s performance against Lton, Robben also told the press:

“We were much the better team. We played a great game,” he added. “We didn’t sit back and wait for them to come.

“We played aggressively, with attacking football and didn’t let them come into the game. We played well.

“I’m very proud. Very proud of the team and happy to reach the final. It’s a great season.”

The hard work mixed with flashes of brilliance from Robben and French winger Frank Ribery has paid off for them this season. The German side will take to the pitch at the Bernabau as the underdogs regardless of their opponents in May, but one thing is for sure is that they shouldn’t be written off. No side who reaches the Champions League final should ever be written off early.

You Can Bet On This Cup Final: Champions League Final

Bayern Munich are currently 2.75 to be crowned Champions of Europe with PartyBets.com.

Related posts:

  1. How Ribery-less Munich Can Reach Champions League Final
  2. Portsmouth Down But Not Out With FA Cup Final Berth Won
  3. Atlético Madrid and Valencia Clash in all-Spanish Europa League Quarter-Final


ToteSport bookmaker will give you £60 in Free Bets. Click here to check them out.

Portsmouth Down But Not Out With FA Cup Final Berth Won

FA Cup Trophy 300x300 Portsmouth Down But Not Out With FA Cup Final Berth WonPompey battled admirably and showed real grit to make it to their second final in three years but the South Coast side certainly had the rub of the green. Perhaps they deserve it after such a terrible year.

With the score at 0-0 and the game into extra- time, Spurs centre back Michael Dawson became the umpteenth player to slip on the Wembley surface over the weekend. Unfortunately for Dawson, he did it on his own six yard line as he moved to intercept a routine knockdown in the box.

With his marker grounded, Frederick Picquionne had a simple finish to put Portsmouth a goal to the good. If Spurs fans were bemoaning their luck about that incident, far worse was to come.

Peter Crouch soon had the ball in the net at the other end with a trademark volley but referee Alan Wiley disallowed the goal for an infringement on the goalkeeper. The look on Pompey keeper David James’s face said everything about the decision- he clearly felt that his team had dodged a bullet.

The ‘foul’ was against Nico Krancjar who did nothing but jump to head Gareth Bale’s cross. James came flying out to meet it, missed the ball but inevitably collided in mid-air with Krancjar- the Spurs player didn’t move at all in the keeper’s s direction but was still penalised for the collision.

Any Spurs fans who still felt it might be their team’s day had their optimism punctured when Aruna Dindane then went on a curving run towards the penalty area. Midfielder Wilson Palacios tracked the run all the way but couldn’t get a tackle in until the pair were inside the box.

Inevitably the tackle was clumsy and Wiley gave a penalty- despite the fact that Palacios did get a touch on the ball. Kevin Prince-Boateng delivered the final blow by despatching the spot-kick.

Now Portsmouth can make history. No side has been relegated and won the FA Cup in the same season though several reached the final. Middlesbrough were the last in 1997 and Pompey fans are beginning to think their club is the one to overturn this particular hoodoo.

Related posts:

  1. Portsmouth Enjoy A Tremendous Week In The Courts And On The Pitch
  2. Villa Maintain Push for Second Final But Must Take On Chelsea
  3. FA Cup Predictions – A Win For Southampton Would Be No Surprise

View full post on PartyBets Blog