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| DATE: June 14 2010 | CITY: Johannesburg | GROUP: Group E |
Group E kicks off with the game between Northern European rivals Netherlands and Denmark in the city of Johannesburg (played at the Soccer City stadium). The Flying Dutchmen are in the best form of their recent history and currently on the 3rd spot of the official FIFA Rankings. The team is aiming high this year, even though the Netherlands have always been a traditional football power, they have never won the World Cup trophy but only reached two consecutive finals (1974 and 1978). The Netherlands won all eight games of the qualifying round campaign, becoming the first European team to secure a position for South Africa. If they continue playing as well in the World Cup finals they shouldn’t have any problems beating Denmark, finishing first in the group stage, or even going much further in the competition. According to their coach Bert van Marwijk the team’s goal is to make it to the final game for the third time in history and maybe win it all with a bit of luck on their side.
Denmark has always been a solid football team in the international stage, playing for the fourth time in the World Cup. Denmark was the European champion in 1992, and has even won a Confederations Cup in 1995. The team always goes past the group stage and even further than the second round reaching at least the top ten in every World Cup they have participated so far. Their goal is to continue being in the top positions, and maybe doing one small step further in South Africa. The task at hand will be more difficult this time, playing in one of the strongest groups of the tournament, but consistent Denmark always seems to get the job done. They will look at all opponents straight in the eyes and hope for the best.
The Netherlands want to start the World Cup games victorious and to show everyone that they mean business in South Africa Beating Denmark is not going to be that easy though, the Danish team is quiet but a strong opponent, leaving powerhouse Portugal 2 points behind in the qualifying stage and sending them to the play-off games while they advanced directly. Catching Holland off guard will not be as simple but anything can happen at this stage and with a few good chances the game can turn on their side.
