It was two late goals from two different substitutes that saw Holland secure the first place seed in Group B. Chile despite already having secured a knockout round birth, would have wanted to gain three points from this one as they will more than likely have to face hosts Brazil in the Round of 16. It wasn't the most exciting match, but Holland pulled it through and will now go into the next round full of confidence as they have played three and won three.
The final match of Group B saw Chile and Holland face off at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. Robin Van Persie did not feature for the Dutch as he was out due to yellow card suspension while Arturo Vidal started on the bench for Chile as there had been some speculation about whether or not he would be fit after battling injury in the last week. Holland only needed a win or draw to secure first place in the group, while Chile needed a win if they wanted to try and avoid what will most likely be Brazil in the Round of 16.
The threat of conceding an early goal resulted in a rather pensive start for both teams. Through the opening ten minutes Chile controlled the majority of possession while Holland had eleven men behind the ball at all times, looking to pick their opportunities in which to counter.
Chile had the first half chance of the match on 22’ when Felipe Gutierrez blasted a corner kick straight off the training ground over the net. It was the first time in the game that either team mustered up half of a chance. It did seem to open the game up a bit more at this point though as Arjen Robben and co. began to find a little more space for themselves in the middle of the pitch.
After thirty minutes, the Dutch slowly started to get a grip on the game. Their counters started to look a bit more dangerous, resulting in Chile having to concede a couple of free kicks near their own penalty area. Arjen Robben nearly converted a counter attack all on his own on 39’. The run started just behind the half way line as he skipped passed numerous Chilean players, only to see his shot from about 9-yards out travel just wide of the Chilean goal.
It was the first real chance for the “Oranje”, as their counter continued to look more and more dangerous. It has to be said that Arjen Robben has been in absolutely scintillating form during the World Cup thus far. Had he scored that one, it would surely have been in highlight reels for years to come.
After forty-five minutes the two sides went into the dressing rooms deadlocked at 0-0. Neither team looked better than the other as both sides were rather careful about not wanting to concede early. Going into the second half, Chile would need to find a way to score a goal as the thought of playing Brazil in the first knockout is something no team wants to think about.
At the start of the second, Holland seemed to be pushing up much higher than they were in the first half, trying to put Chile under pressure in their own third. Neither side through ten minutes was able to really impose themselves as the dominant side though, as both teams were rather sloppy in the midfield.
Alexis Sanchez had the first chance for Chile on 65’ as he cleverly beat Jeremain Lens on the end line only to shoot the ball directly at Jasper Cillessen who pushed the ball wide. The game started to open up once more, as it did in the first half as both teams started to look more threatening in front of goal.
Both teams made their first changes in the 69’ as Memphis Depay, who scored the winner against Australia, came on in favor of Jeremain Lens for the Dutch, while Francisco Silva was taken off in favor of Jorge Valdivia. Valdivia, who plays in Sao Paulo, is a much more attacking player than the defensive Silva. It was a smart change for the Chileans as there were only twenty minutes left for them to find a winner.
The Dutch had a big opportunity to score the opener on 74’ as Wesley Sneijder’s free kick to the left of the penalty area was perfectly sent into the box, only for a Chilean head to meet the ball first and hit it out for a corner. It was the last action that Sneijder would see as he was brought off a minute later in favor of Leroy Fer.
And what do you know; it was Fer who gave the Dutch a 1-0 lead on 76’. The substitute was left wide open 8-yards from goal and made no mistake heading the ball past Chielan keeper Claudio Bravo. It was questionable marking by the Chileans as Fer had acres of room to freely put Holland in the lead.
There were calls for a handball on the Dutch line off a corner in the 80’, but it would have been a rather harsh call for the Ghanaian referee to make. Chile continued to press higher and higher up the pitch in the final ten minutes as the possibility of facing Brazil began to creep closer and closer.
That possibility became a reality as Memphis Depay finished off a low cross from Arjen Robben to make it 2-0 in the 90’ +2. Chile will now have to face what will most likely be Brazil while Holland can feel confident after playing three and winning three. Both teams will surely be keeping an eye on the rest of the games today as Mexico and Croatia both have a shot finishing in second.
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