www.fcbarcelona.cat
06/09/2012 20:32
First
surprise of the 2012 EURO as the Netherlands lose 0-1 to Denmark. The Azulgrana
Ibrahim Afellay featured in the starting line-up and was substituted on 71
minutes
PHOTO: UEFA.COM
The first
match of the second match day of the Poland and Ukraine EURO pitted the World
Cup runner-up, Netherlands, against Denmark. The Netherlands lost 0-1 to their
northern European neighbors. It wasn’t the best debut for the Oranje, who are
playing in one of the most difficult groups of the competition. The Netherlands
must face Germany and Portugal in the following weeks.
Afellay in the starting line-up
The FC Barcelona player, Ibrahim Afellay, featured in Bert Van
Marwijk’s starting line-up. Holland quickly took control of the game in the
Ukrainian city of Jarkov at the Matalist Stadium, but they came up against a
very solid Denmark defence. In the first minutes of the match, Afellay was
involved in various plays that could have ended up in his team’s first goal.
His first chance came on 10 minutes but his shot went over the crossbar.
In one of the few Denmark attacks, the Danes scored the first and only goal of
the game. On the 24th minute, Krohn-Dehli beat two defenders and then buried
the ball in the back of the Dutch goal. The Netherlands came close to
equalising before the half but Robben’s shot crashed against the woodwork.
In the second half the Dutch side went on the attack against a Danish team that
was ready to weather the onslaught. The manager Van Marwijk decided to bring in
his substitutes, among the players to leave the pitch was Afellay (on the 71st
minute); Huntelaar took the Azulgrana player’s place on the pitch. In the end,
however, the first-half goal was enough to win the three points for Denmark.
