Uruguay need Dutch courage

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Over 350 years after ships of the Dutch East India Company first dropped anchor at the Cape of Good Hope, Holland will look to sail into the Fifa World Cup final when they lock horns with two-time champions Uruguay at Cape Town on Tuesday.

The magnificent 66,000 capacity Green Point Stadium will be the setting for the first semifinal of the World Cup between the Oranje and La Celeste (The Sky Blues).
Holland are on a high after defeating bookies favourites Brazil 2-1 thanks to a stunning second-half turnaround scripted by influential attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder. Uruguay’s path to the last 4 was even more dramatic. A shocking last-minute penalty miss by Asamoah Gyan, after Luis Suarez flung his arms to stop a goal-bound effort ensured they kept the hopes of emulating their forefathers’ achievements alive.
However, it also meant the 23-year-old rookie striker, who has struck three crucial goals so far, would miss the semifinal after picking up a direct red card. Eccentric forward Sebastian Abreu, nicknamed El Loco for his antics, will start in place of Suarez and look to add to his cheeky winning penalty, struck à la Zinedine Zidane.
Holland also have suspension worries of their own. Holding midfielder Nigel De Jong, who has been a perfect foil to Mark van Bommel in the middle of the park, was ruled out after picking up his second yellow card of the knockout rounds against Brazil. Rafael van der Vaart will step in for De Jong. He is a vastly more creative player, but defensively he is not as pedigreed as the Manchester City hard-man.
Right-back Gregory van der Wiel is also suspended. His replacement Khalid Boulahrouz is a physical defender, but is also susceptible to players running at him with pace.
Holland played inspired football in the second-half against Brazil, with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder providing a lethal one-two punch. However, Coach Bert van Marjwik cautioned his team to move on and focus on the next match.
“We have been down this road before in the past with other Dutch teams and the Dutch people have been let down time and again. We have to take the duel with Uruguay very seriously because, mentally, it is difficult to get yourselves back into the mix after a victory against Brazil,” said the former Feyenoord manager.
“Uruguay are a team of fighters. They battle and survive. That is why they have reached the semifinals. We must certainly not underestimate them, otherwise things will go wrong for us,” he said cautioning his wards against complacency.
Uruguay’s hopes will hang on the shoulders of Diego Forlan, the talismanic striker who has taken additional freekick and corner-kick responsibilities for the sake of the team.
Forlan’s blistering free-kick from 25 yards-out bought Uruguay back into the match against Ghana and the Atletico striker is keen to repeat his feat against the Dutch. Coach Oscar Tabarez is still eagerly waiting on the other Diego in the team to pass a late fitness test, and make it to the starting XI for the match. Captain Diego Lugano limped off against Ghana with a bothersome knee, though the burly centre-back is willing to fight through the pain to lead Uruguay back to the top after a 60-year wait.
“With just four days between games that’s not much time, it’ll be very difficult. I have to be honest with the team and if I’m not able to play there are other players who can come in and do a good job. I’m doing everything I can to be fit and then the coaching staff and doctor will make a decision about whether I play,” he said.