Netherlands Beats Uruguay In World Cup Semifinals (HIGHLIGHTS, VIDEO)

(SCROLL DOWN FOR NETHERLANDS VS. URUGUAY VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS, PHOTOS & MORE)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- A Dutch treat: The Netherlands is in the World Cup final.

Long wasteful with its soccer talent, the Netherlands sure has has found the right touch in this tournament.

Dutch stars Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben scored three minutes apart in the second half as the Netherlands beat Uruguay 3-2 Tuesday night to advance to their first championship match since losing in 1978 to Argentina.

Winners of all six games in South Africa, the Oranje will face either Germany or Spain in Sunday's title game at Soccer City in Johannesburg. The Netherlands lost its other appearance in the final, to West Germany in 1974. [Article continues below.]

Netherlands 3rd Goal (72nd minute):	Netherlands 2nd Goal (69th minute):
Uruguay Ties Game (40th minute):	Netherlands Strikes First (17th minute):

BIG SHOTS

Launch the fullpage Big Shots slideshow >>

Current Top 5 Slides

Rate  This  Photo

RANK# 

 | AVERAGE: 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Wish I Was There!

Netherlands' national football team players gather together prior to the start of the 2010 World Cup semi-final football match Uruguay vs. Netherlands on July 6, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town.

Netherlands' national football team players gather together prior to the start of the 2010 World Cup semi-final football match Uruguay vs. Netherlands on July 6, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town.

comments(1121)

1

 / 33

Caption

Rate this Photo

RATE THIS PHOTO

 | AVERAGE: 

RANK# 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Wish I Was There!

CURRENT TOP 5 SLIDES

USERS WHO VOTED ON THIS SLIDE

loading...

CURRENT TOP 5 SLIDES

CHOOSE YOUR TOP 5 SLIDES

Share Your Top 5 With Your Friends

Close

Both of those title-game defeats came during the golden period of Dutch soccer, and in the opposition's homeland. No such worries this time, and no country outside of Africa has had as much fan support as the Netherlands.

Indeed, Green Point Stadium looked like a Florida orange grove. Outside the stadium, a Netherlands fan in a blue and white bodysuit stood on stilts and played a vuvuzela - badly. It was about the only thing that didn't measure up for the Dutch.

And a tournament that looked like a South American fiesta early on will end in a European showdown for the second straight World Cup. Sneijder and Robben made sure of that.

Sneijder's goal came somewhat unexpectedly because Uruguay had shut down the Dutch offense for much of the second half. His left-footed shot from just inside the penalty area barely ticked the leg of defender Maximiliano Pereira and, with Robin van Persie almost deflecting it again, it skidded past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Then Robben sent a cross from Dirk Kuyt past a flat-footed Muslera with a brilliant header as Robben was leaping away from the net. His teammates piled on in an Oranje Crush celebration, and Robben came up from it with mud on his forehead, a smile on his face - and the knowledge that Netherlands was ahead 3-1 and likely headed to the championship match.

For good measure, Robben blew kisses to the fans.

Pereira scored a late goal for Uruguay but the Netherlands' defense held up for the final few minutes and the party was on.

Comments

[Cornelis26]

01:50 PM on 07/07/2010

The Dutch are in the Final. It's not always the best team that wins the match... However, now they're taking revenge for 1974. And in the meanwhile they're going crazy over there... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62lp_oEZx6M

[angelneptustar]

03:59 AM on 07/09/2010

http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/good-luck-holland/

I am so so happy that Holland have achieved the Final. The English half of me has been shamed and humiliated. The Dutch half is glowing orange and bursting with pride. When you go to Holland, you find out what lovely people Dutch people are, even if their national cuisine is a little bit high in dairy fat! They are kind, tolerant and friendly, with a strong cultural heritage of great art.

My excuse that England are so bad at football because England is such a small country has been smashed to fragments. Never mind, we should sack our entire team, and find players with more inner strength and team spirit!

Meanwhile, Holland enjoy your victory, and I am praying that you will win the competition.

[Viva Madrid]

01:08 PM on 07/07/2010

Pedro will start for Spain instead of Torres.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

08:23 PM on 07/07/2010

Thank God. I thought I wouldn't get any sleep until that was worked.

[Viva Madrid]

10:43 PM on 07/07/2010

I actually did not sleep much :)

[johnpherson]

11:25 AM on 07/07/2010

I hope the Netherlands study closely whatever it was that Serbia of Switzerland did to defeat Germany and Spain respectively. My impression of those matches as I recall them was that neither was pretty. The Oranje have shown that they can win ugly in each of their matches (even to a some extent against Brasil). Surely the Dutch side is more than equal to the Serbs and Swiss?

[dmac]

11:14 AM on 07/07/2010

I'm a game late for sharing this, but all the posts wishing they were in Amsterdam just now reminded me. My Anglo-American son lives in Amsterdam, and he left his office with the score 1 - 0 Brazil to go join his girlfriend to finish watching the game. Riding the tram across town, he said he knew they had equalized ----- a roar went up from the city that he said immedietly reminded him of being at Pro Player watching McGwire hit his 58th and 59th home runs, it was that loud...as if he were in a stadium. What an amazing thing the WC is; an entire country with one thought!

Hooray Oranje!

[Bas Baars]

10:33 AM on 07/07/2010

Sunday, we will be the new Champion of the world!!!! KAMPIOENEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ljilja]

10:05 AM on 07/07/2010

Go Holland!

http://graciouslivingdaybyday.com/

[lacerf]

09:42 AM on 07/07/2010

I want to see a new World Cup winner this year as opposed to a former winner winning it (like Germany). So if Spain or the Netherlands win the trophy I will be happy. Spain is more deserving because they are clearly the better team with an awesome midfield that reminds me of the 1982 Brazilian midfield that included Falcao, Cerezo, Socrates, and Zico.

But in soccer 2 plus 2 is not always 4 so I think there are no favorites in a Spain vs Holland final.

[Harry Tuttle]

09:33 AM on 07/07/2010

The second Dutch goal should have been called off. Van Persie was offside.

This is the same rule that was used to invalidate Haedo Valdez' fisrt half goal against Spain.

Interestingly it was not mentioned in the article above, nor could I find it in any of the comments.

[EdinFL]

11:16 AM on 07/07/2010

I made the same comment yesterday. Had the goal been called back, I'm not sure about the outcome. Nonetheless, this game was no different as far the bad officiating. Too many bad calls have affected too many games, and it's a bad reflection for FIFA. You can't blame Holland for bad referees.

[IndependentAllways]

12:42 PM on 07/07/2010

It was a good goal because Snijder was not passing the ball to Van Persie, it got re-directed his way by the defense and also he (van Persie) did not touch the ball. If he had touched the ball it would have been called off-side.

[Via Dolorosa]

09:16 AM on 07/07/2010

Lucky are those who celebrated in Amsterdam last night!

The orange boys could have beaten Uruguay 6:2 easily; well, 3:2 is good enough, though I was hoping for a more comprehensive punishment for Suarez's friends!

[PKatherine]

11:27 AM on 07/07/2010

if they could have done that...they would have!

except they didn't bc Uruguay played that good!

[Hilodave]

01:33 PM on 07/07/2010

The Dutch played a lazy 1st half and were lucky with that great long range goal. They only woke up later on....Uruquay never gave up. If they do that against Germany or Spain it's over for the Dutch.....lets hope not.

[Viva Madrid]

08:48 AM on 07/07/2010

I hope we see this again today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwyAnNVxxx8&feature=related

[netzwerg]

09:10 AM on 07/07/2010

Prepare to see something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKcTH-ggj2g or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBBD6STiMDY today.

[Viva Madrid]

09:33 AM on 07/07/2010

I like this better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8urfHRbvXU

[jazzboy]

06:34 AM on 07/07/2010

There are a lot of us rooting for you. The Netherlands team -- and its people -- rock!

[JavaJuice]

07:06 AM on 07/07/2010

I thought you were suppose to bash people from other countries in the World Cup threads?

Epic fail! ;)

[angelneptustar]

05:47 AM on 07/07/2010

http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/determined-holland-battle-to-win-3-2/

Steady Holland keep their heads to beat fighting Uraguay! ITV so critical and carping, I wanted to smack the commentators! Well done Dutchies, as Kuyt said, "We just have to keep going!"

[chango528]

05:13 AM on 07/07/2010

Without a doubt, the Dutch or Nederlands language deserves the World Cup trophy as the world's most horrible sounding language (ahead of Schweizerdeutsch and Arabic). Go Spain!! Go Germany!!! and above all: Vamo Uruguay!!!!!!!!!!

[angelneptustar]

05:49 AM on 07/07/2010

How is Dutch worse sounding than German? I love the Dutch language, and can say the GGGGUUH in my throat like a Dutch woman!

[Abena in Africa]

07:11 AM on 07/07/2010

I know right! I like my "gggguhh's", and I love saying "gggggoede morggggggen!" ;)

[Luketer]

05:07 AM on 07/07/2010

Hoping for a Dutch - Spain finals....If that happens its like a win win situation for me....RVP & Cesc to make the Gunners proud....

[blueballs]

04:58 AM on 07/07/2010

Take a closer look at the group hug above. Someone's gettin' a little friendly with #10, it would appear.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

05:45 AM on 07/07/2010

He's doing it to two different dudes.

[Lament]

08:48 AM on 07/08/2010

He's the central defender defending his teammates centres, nothing wrong with that:)