Second Round- Portugal vs Holland

[sid_19840]

Discussion on the Second Round Knockout Match between Portugal and Holland on June 25th,2000(GMT+1).

[cric_craze]

portugal beat holland 2 years ago in portugal but it wil probably be different this year.

[aussie1st]

Tough one to pick, neither team has been on fire in the World Cup. Portugal went alright while Holland haven't scored many goals.

[hondeyho]

This will be a tough and closely contested one - could be a 0-0 draw but I'll be watching this one for sure, England will play one of these two.

[HopaWhitey]

I hope Holland come through this match.
They havent been playing to their potential for a while now.
Lets hope they can pull it together for this important match.

[F4rrukh]

I hope Portugal can get this one . Portoguese have a very good passing rythem

[Hariz]

This should be a cracker, the portugese beat Mexico with their B-team, which reflects the depth in their squad. With Ronaldo, Deco, Pauleta back in the side they can finish off Holland imo. But Holland too can be dangerous on the wings with Robben and Van Persie.

[m_vaughan]

Cracking game, and if I can remember correctly, it was Portugal who knocked the Dutch out of the European Championships. So it is a perfect oppurtunity for the Netherlands to return the favour.

Like Hariz mentioned, the depth in the Portugal side is awesome, and that combined with the great Luiz Felipe Scolari's tactics should take them through to the QFs.

[ZexyZahid]

The Netherlands faces three quality teams in their group. Something different then Iran, Angola and Mexico. And Portugal weren't that impressive against Mexico, although I didn't watch that match, but I just read some reviews.

In the last match the Netherlands showed how well their defence can be. With Robben coming back they should have their attack well set too.

But between the matches of Portugal and the Netherlands, Portugal has the edge. Portugal's weakness will be their defence.

[m_vaughan]

Mexico is a quality side, who are ranked 4th and are definately better than S&M and Ivory Coast.

[Hariz]

Originally Posted by ZexyZahid

In the last match the Netherlands showed how well their defence can be. With Robben coming back they should have their attack well set too.

But between the matches of Portugal and the Netherlands, Portugal has the edge. Portugal's weakness will be their defence.

The Portugese Defence is world class imo, with Carvalho, Meira, Valente and Miguel it is as compact as it gets. Just imagine that Paulo Ferreira from Chelsea and Andrade (injured) have to sit at the bench, who are also world class defenders.

The Netherlands have a weak midfield, with Van der Vaart and Sneijder out of form and that will be the difference.....

[usy]

Ok Holland will win this 1-0.

[IloveGilly]

This is dead set going to be exciting. C. Ronaldo vs. Van Nistelrooy is such a good line-up for me. I hope Portugal win.

[ZexyZahid]

Originally Posted by m_vaughan

Mexico is a quality side, who are ranked 4th and are definately better than S&M and Ivory Coast.

These rankings are based on number of wins, in Mexico's case how much they've won in North America.

Just to show a difference in how unrealistic these standings are: USA and Spain are joint fifth and USA are supposed to be better then Argentina, who are ranked who are ranked at number 9.

Originally Posted by Hariz

The Portugese Defence is world class imo, with Carvalho, Meira, Valente and Miguel it is as compact as it gets. Just imagine that Paulo Ferreira from Chelsea and Andrade (injured) have to sit at the bench, who are also world class defenders.

The Netherlands have a weak midfield, with Van der Vaart and Sneijder out of form and that will be the difference.....

I didn't watch the Portugal vs Mexico match, but I read that the Portugal's defence wasn't looking that good. And they were first time facing a competitive side like Mexico.

Van der Vaart is just a reserve player nowadays. The guy needs to perform before he can get a chance again. Cocu and van Bommel are the other midfielders and playing average, with Cocu as the better player. But I've seen what they can do when they're on their best.

Anyway I am hoping for a good contest.

[sachin]

Originally Posted by m_vaughan

Mexico is a quality side, who are ranked 4th and are definately better than S&M and Ivory Coast.

Are you joking!?Ivory Coast are way better than Mexico.And the USA is ranked fifth or something,so that tells us how crud the ranking system is.

Well i think Holland will win this comfortably.With Ronaldo in his all time best 'I love the ball.Its mine and knowone else's!',i can't see Portugal winning!