Dutch through to Euro 2008 quarter-finals

Holland delivered another stunning performance on Friday evening, thrashing France 4-1 to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the European Championships.


After scoring early in the game through a header from Dirk Kuijt, the Dutch soaked up plenty of pressure from France before Robin van Persie netted a second in the second half. France gave themselves a small chance of coming back halfway though the second half when Thierry Henry found scored.
But France’s hopes were quickly dashed when Arjen Robben smashed the ball into the roof of the net from an impossible angle seconds later.
Holland sealed a superlative performance with a final brilliant strike from Wesley Sneijder in injury time. Sneijder’s shot from outside the box was unstoppable, sailing into the top of the goal.
After defeating Italy 3-0 in the first group game, and now France, Holland have become one of the favourites to win the tournament. Their last group game, against Romania on Tuesday, is now a formality.
Among the thousands of fans watching the game live on Friday was Dutch prime minister Jan van Balkenende. ‘It was a fantastic evening,’ he told Nos in a live interview after the match. Asked who his favourite player was, Balkenende’s answer was immediately ‘Edwin van der Sar’.

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