The Netherlands reaffirmed their status as one of the World Cup favourites on Thursday by beating Cameroon 2-1 to set up a knockout round clash with Slovakia.
Bert van Marwijk’s team only needed a point to secure top spot in Group E but took all three with goals from Robin van Persie and substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar cancelling out a Samuel Eto’o penalty.
They now play Group F runners-up Slovakia, who beat defending champions Italy 3-2 earlier in the day.
The Dutch once again proved they are one of the form sides in South Africa with a third win in a row, joining Argentina as the only teams with a 100 percent record so far. Van Marwijk, though, was not entirely happy.
“I felt today was less good than the first two matches. We were dealing with a team that was already out and it was all or nothing for them,” he said. “In the second half we started too loosely, too sloppily. I thought Cameroon might score and we might even lose. They did score and we were shaken awake and then we got the second,” he added.
“But that period of negligence we had, we cannot afford that again,” Marwijk said. Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen’s contract is now set to expire and he sounded a forlorn note after his team’s third consecutive loss. “We leave the World Cup with lots of regrets,” said the Frenchman. “We know that we were carrying lots of hopes from everyone in Cameroon but we weren’t able to realise them.”
— AFP