Sport: Category:
    In Association With
Scoreboard Match Schedule Standings Teams Player Leaders News
Final
Netherlands 2-0 Romania
Half: 0-0
Goals
54'K. Huntelaar1-0  
87'R. van Persie2-0  
Preview  |  Stats  |  Matchcast  |  Matchcast  |  Match Report
Commentary  |  Team Stats  |  Player Stats
Netherlands v Romania
Time Commentary
93' FULL TIME
Romania crash out of Euro 08 with their heads held high as the Netherlands go into the knock-out stages on the back of three straight wins and after scoring nine goals in a qualification group that had been tagged as the Group of Death. Romania have been solid throughout the tournament but lacked spark when they needed it and always looked like they would struggle once Holland had gone a goal up. After all the talk about qualification permutations it all turned out to be very simple, as both the Netherlands and Italy outplayed Romania and France to progress from a group that has provided us with some superb entertainment and a standard of football, from Holland particularly, that will live long in the memory. An entertaining if unspectacular game in Berne ended Holland 2-0 Romania.
90' AS IT STANDS
Group C looks to have been settled, with the Netherlands being joined by Italy in the knock-out stages and Romania bowing out despite picking up points against Italy and France.
87' GOOAALL!!!
The fairytale is no more! Van Persie hammers in the second for the Dutch after wriggling into space on the left of the area. A great shot, a great goal and another great performance from Holland, who surely must go into a quarter-final against Russia or Sweden as favourites for the competition.
84' WASTED CHANCE
Romania had the chance to make it a difficult final five minutes, but Petre's corner couldn't beat the first defender. What a waste!
83' SUBSTITUTION
Vennegoor of Hesselink replaces Huntelaar to make sure that every single out-field player in the Dutch squad has made an appearance in the tournament so far.
82' AIR-SHOT
Mutu swings a leg at the ball in the six-yard box, but could only find fresh air as a great chance went begging again. Romania need to take chances like these if there's any chance of a remarkable comeback.
81' SUBSTITUTION
Petre comes on for Nicolita as Romania make their final change.
79' ROMANIA BREAK
Romania had the chance to carve out a golden opportunity when they broke in numbers against a stretched Dutch defence, but possession was wasted and the chance went begging.
77' YELLOW CARD
Chivu picks up a yellow card for a terrible challenge on the edge of the area and will miss the quarter-final in the unlikely event that Romania come back from this position.
75' THUNDEROUS DRIVE
Huntelaar smashes in a spectacular effort that was beaten away by a surprised Lobont. It's hard to see anything other than an increase in Holland's lead coming in the remaining few minutes.
74' SCRAPPY SPELL
The crowd are quiet as the game looks set to peter out with Romania unable to score once, let alone twice, and the Dutch more than happy to hit their opponents on the break.
72' CAUGHT OFFSIDE
Huntelaar was just offside as Van Persie threaded a pass through the last line of Romanian defence on the counter-attack.
71' SUBSTITUTION
Dica comes on for Codrea as Romania throw everything at getting back into this game.
69' SWEEPING PASS
Van Persie launches a superb pass that almost finds Afellay who looked like he had broken clear of the last line of defence. Romania need to be wary of Holland's ability to hurt them on the counter-attack.
66' WASTED POSSESSION
Niculae gives the ball away as his side try to launch an attack. His team-mates are not happy as Romania need to take every chance they can to get forward.
64' NEWS FROM ZURICH
Italy have gone two up so Romania now need to score twice if they are to progress. It's looking more and more unlikely, but after events in the Turkey v Czech Republic game we should never write off the unexpected.
62' SUBSTITUTION
Kuyt replaces Robben, who's done well to shake off an injury to make this tournament.
61' ALMOST A CHANCE
Heitinga almost played in Mutu with a poor header, but De Cler rescued his team-mate with a timely clearance.
59' SUBSTITUTION
The two Romanian Niculae's change places as Daniel replaces Marius.
57' SUBSTITUTION
Melchiot replaces Boulahrouz as Van Basten opts to give his defender a decent rest.
55' HUGE TASK
Romania, who aren't a free-scoring side at the best of times, now need to score twice against the Dutch without conceding again. It's a huge ask!
53' GOOAALL!!!
It's a tragedy for Romania as Huntelaar puts the Dutch a goal to the good. The Dutch had counter-attacked at pace again and Afellay followed up the move with a decent ball in that found Huntelaar, who slotted the ball past Lobont with ease. Holland 1-0 Romania.
52' GREAT GOALKEEPING
Van Persie was sent clean through, but Lobont came screaming off his line to get to the ball first and save his side again.
48' STUNNING SAVE
Van Persie latched on to a long-ball in the box, turned brilliantly and fired in a great shot that should have opened the scoring... but Lobont produced a world-class save to deny the Dutch striker.
47' SWEAT AND TEARS
Mutu, the man who was in tears after his penalty miss against Italy, looks determined to make up for it tonight. The striker curled in a decent free-kick, but, as Holland attempted to launch one of those dangerous counter-attacks, it was Mutu who stormed back to help out his defence and clear the danger. Very impressive!
46' SPARKLING START
The second half has started with a bang, as has Adrian Mutu. The former Chelsea star tested Stekelenburg virtually straight from the kick off, as Romania signal their intent to put the Dutch under greater pressure in this second half.
46' DELAYED RESTART
There's been a considerably longer half-time interval than usual in Berne, as officials attempt to synchronise the start of the half with that of the game in Zurich.
45' HALF TIME
The whistle goes on a half that has seen plenty of action and a good few chances for both sides, but a surprising dearth of quality. Romania know, that with Italy currently holding sway in Zurich, they have to win as things stand and will need to step up their efforts in the second period. So far it seems that Piturca's game-plan is working a treat, as the Romanian defence has looked solid and Mutu can always knick a goal, particularly as the team get more expansive as time runs out. Holland have looked a shadow of the attacking threat that they were in the last two games, possibly also slightly due to the nine un-enforced changes made by Van Basten, but Romania have defended well and are still in with a chance of winning this game and qualifying for the quarter-finals. It should be a fascinating second half!
44' OVER THE BAR
A lovely move from Romania almost resulted in a goal, but Codrea's effort from the edge of the area cleared the bar when he should have done better.
42' POOR TOUCH
Nicolita wasted another opportunity to whip a ball in as he knocked the ball behind for a goal-kick. Don't be surprised to see the defensive-minded winger replaced in the second-half as Romania go in search of that all-important win.
40' TIMELY INTERCEPTION
Bouma cut out a long-ball as Mutu prowled and looked for a way in behind the Dutch defence. Good defending from Holland.
38' DECENT DRIVE
Mutu does fantastically well to keep the ball when under pressure from four Dutch defenders and set up Cocis, who had a go from distance, but the Romanian slipped and his effort curled wide.
36' UNBELIEVABLE MISS!
Huntelaar's flick on the edge of the area sent Robben through onto the 'keeper and the winger thought he had scored as he flicked his effort past the 'keeper... only to see the ball drift agonisingly wide of the post. What a shocking miss!
35' CLAIMS FOR A PENALTY
Robben looked to have slipped in the box, but the Real Madrid winger looks convinced that he was fouled. The ref disagrees...
32' OVER THE BAR AND OFFSIDE
Boulahrouz whipped in a cross that Huntelaar really should have done better with, but the striker's effort sailed over the bar. Boulahrouz was flagged for offside in any case, which was a terrible decision and would have been a real talking point had Huntelaar found the back of the net.
29' WHAT A TALENT!
The superbly skilled Fiorentina striker, Mutu, skips past a couple of Dutch defenders before unleashing a shot that had Stekelenburg beaten all ends up, but it screamed just wide of the post.
27' NEWS FROM ZURICH
The news from the other match in the Group of Death is that Italy have taken the lead! Not only that but France have had Abidal sent off and Ribery, the lively French playmaker, has been taken off injured. If the Italians hold onto their lead then Romania have to win this game to progress.
25' WIDE OF THE POST
Van Persie had the best chance of the match so far, but couldn't get direction on his header and it flew well wide. He should have done better there!
24' WONDERFUL RUN
Afellay produces the moment of the match so far, with a fantastic run, followed by a low ball in that almost found an orange shirted team-mate in the box.
23' SUPERB SKILL
Mutu turned brilliantly in the area and almost managed to squeeze away a shot from close-range, but Boulahrouz managed to block his effort and it fizzed away from danger.
21' HANDBALL!
Huntelaar did brilliantly well to bring the ball down in the area, but unintentionally handled the ball when under intense pressure from two defenders and the decision went against the Dutch striker, and rightly so.
19' POOR CROSS
Robben had time and space but couldn't deliver a decent cross and struck the first defender.
18' OVER THE BAR
Van Persie almost finished off Holland's first really quality move of the game, but couldn't keep his header down and it flew over the bar.
16' HORRIBLE CROSS
Nicolita horribly slices his cross and produces one of the most spectacularly poor cross seen at the Euro 08 so far!
14' HANDBALL
The Dutch haven't been able to show off their slick passing style so far, and Huntelaar breaks up another attack by unnecessarily handling the ball when in possession.
12' EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT
Van Persie managed to keep the ball in when everyone else in the ground had assumed it would go out for a goal-kick. Unfortunately the Arsenal player's ball in was a far cry from the quality of his effort to keep the ball in play.
10' TIGHT DEFENCE
Romania may be breaking in numbers but their defence is still a formidable barrier in front of Lobont. This time it's the captain, Chivu, who crunches into a tackle on Huntelaar.
8' OVER THE BAR
Mutu was dragged down and a free-kick was given, but Chivu, who is usually so good from dead-ball situations, struck his shot miles over the bar and into row z!
6' FAST PACED
Already it's clear that Romania are likely to play a more expansive game this time round. Nicolita burst through the middle and had options further forward that just wouldn't have been there against the Italians or French.
3' SUPERB EFFORT
Niculae screams in a shot that almost had Stekelenburg beaten at his near post. Romania will be confident of getting something from this game, as they took four points off Holland on the way to topping their qualification group for this tournament. However, Goian, the player that scored the winner in the game in Romania, is out due to suspension and has been replaced by Ghionea.
0' DUTCH CHANGES
The Netherlands go into this game with Van Basten making nine changes to the starting line-up! It's not exactly a weak side though, particularly with Robben, Van Persie and Huntelaar spear-heading the side!
0' WE'RE OFF
The anthems have been sung and Holland get the game underway.
0' QUALIFICATION PERMUTATIONS
Take a deep breath, this could be a bit tricky to follow! Romania simply need to win to qualify along with Holland from Group C. However if Romania fail to win then the winner of the France v Italy clash will pip them to qualification… but, if both games end in a draw then Romania will progress. Now for the complicated bit! If Romania lose then they will miss out even if France and Italy play out a score draw, as Italy will have a superior goal difference in the games played between the three, but… if France v Italy end in a 0-0 draw then Romania will progress if they lose 0-1, 0-2 or by a margin of three goals other than 0-3. This is because with any of those results, the Romanians would have a superior goal-difference or goal-scored ratio than the Italians, but if Romania lose 0-3 then Italy would progress with a 0-0 draw, thanks to a better points coefficient, and if the Romanians lose by any more than three goals then Italy would also progress with a 0-0 draw, courtesy of a superior goal-difference. I'm not even sure that I follow all of those permutations so I'll make sure that I keep all of us updated as the two matches unfold.
0' BIG MATCH PREVIEW
One of the most exciting groups in the history of the European Championship will be decided tonight as Italy take on France and the Netherlands face the surprise package of the group, Romania, in Berne. The Netherlands have played some scintillating football and are widely considered to be the form team of the competition by some distance as the tournament heads to the knock-out stages. Their demolition of both of the World Cup finalists, Italy and France, in their two opening games has guaranteed that the Oranje will finish top of the so-called Group of Death and so don't be surprised to see a few big-name players and those on suspensions given a rest for this evening's clash. Romania, on the other hand, have absolutely everything to play for after holding both France and Italy to surprise draws in their two opening fixtures. Romania had been written off by many on-lookers as the whipping-boys of the Group of Death, but the reality has been very different; Victor Piturca's side fully deserved their point against France and, were it not for Buffon's superb penalty save in the closing minutes, could have taken all three points from their clash with the World Champions, Italy. This should be a great game as Romania will have to go for the win, but the Dutch, who are under no pressure, will surely be a constant threat with their flair on the break. I, for one, can't wait!
Commentary  |  Team Stats  |  Player Stats
Teams
NetherlandsRomania
Maarten Stekelenburg
Arjen Robben
Jan Vennegoor
Robin van Persie
Wilfred Bouma
Khalid Boulahrouz
Dirk Kuyt
Mario Melchiot
John Heitinga
Orlando Engelaar
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Tim De Cler
Ibrahim Afellay
Demy de Zeeuw
Bogdan Lonut Lobont
Adrian Mutu
Cristian Chivu
Paul Constantin Codrea
Daniel Niculae
Cosmin Marius Contra
Gabriel Tamas
Sorin Ghionea
Banel Nicolita
Nicolae Dica
Razvan Rat
Marius Niculae
Razvan Cocis
Florentin Petre
Substitution
58' - Melchiot
 - Boulahrouz
62' - Kuyt
 - Robben
83' - Vennegoor
 - Huntelaar
Niculae - 59'
Niculae - 
Dica - 72'
Codrea - 
Petre - 82'
Nicolita - 
Yellow Cards
 
Chivu (78')  
NetherlandsTeam StatsRomania
2 Goals 0
2 Assists 0
18 Shots 11
7 Shots on Goal 2
2 Saves 5
0 Penalties Scored 0
0 Penalty Kicks 0
24 Crosses 15
2 Corner Kicks 1
2 Offsides 5
17 Fouls Committed 11
0 Cautions/Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
Commentary  |  Team Stats  |  Player Stats
Netherlands
  GA SHT SHT-OG Svs SPct PKF PKS YC RC
M. Stekelenburg 0 11 2 2 100.0 0 0 0 0
  SUB G Ast SHTS SOG SOG% CK CR FC FS Off YC RC
I. Afellay 0 0 3 2 66.7 0 4 2 1 0 0 0
K. Boulahrouz -59 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0
W. Bouma 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
T. De Cler 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
D. de Zeeuw 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
O. Engelaar 0 1 2 0 0.0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0
J. Heitinga 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 2 0 0 0 0
K. Huntelaar -84 1 0 3 1 33.3 0 0 4 1 1 0 0
D. Kuyt +63 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
M. Melchiot +59 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
A. Robben -63 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 6 1 3 0 0 0
M. Stekelenburg 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
R. van Persie 1 0 5 2 40.0 2 3 1 0 1 0 0
J. Vennegoor +84 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Romania
  GA SHT SHT-OG Svs SPct PKF PKS YC RC
B. Lobont 2 16 5 3 60.0 0 0 0 0
  SUB G Ast SHTS SOG SOG% CK CR FC FS Off YC RC
C. Chivu 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
R. Cocis 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
P. Codrea -73 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
C. Contra 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 3 3 3 0 0 0
N. Dica +73 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S. Ghionea 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
B. Lobont 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A. Mutu 0 0 5 2 40.0 0 2 1 2 3 0 0
B. Nicolita -83 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 2 2 1 0 0
D. Niculae +60 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1 1 1 0 0
M. Niculae -60 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
F. Petre +83 0 0 1 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
R. Rat 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1 0 0 0 0
G. Tamas 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 2 1 0 0 0

Goalkeepers
GAGoals Allowed
SHTShots Faced
SHT-OGShots on Goal Faced
SvsSaves
SPctSave Pct.(Percentage)
PKFPenalty Kicks Faced
PKSPenalty Kicks Saved
YCCautions/Yellow Cards
RCRed Cards
Players
GGoals
SHTSShots
SOGShots on Goal
SOG%Shots on Goal %
CKCorner Kicks
CRCrosses
FCFouls Committed
FSFouls Suffered
YCCautions/Yellow Cards
RCRed Cards
AstAssists
OffOffsides
SUBSubstitution
web01 © 2009 by STATS LLC.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.