CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The Netherlands turned on the style in the second half to reach its third World Cup final — and first in 32 years — with a 3-2 victory over Uruguay today.
Wesley Sneijder scored his fifth goal in South Africa and Giovanni van Bronckhorst added one of the goals of the tournament. Arjen Robben also scored as the Dutch never looked troubled despite a late onslaught from the two-time champions from South America.
Van Bronckhorst scored with a hard shot in the 18th minute, but Diego Forlan equalised in the 41st with his fourth goal of the tournament. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk replaced Demy de Zeeuw with Rafael van der Vaart at halftime and the attacking move paid off as Sneijder and Robben scored in the second half.
Maximiliano Pereira scored for Uruguay in injury time but the Dutch weathered the late Uruguayan pressure, and the Orange-clad fans at Green Point Stadium erupted at the final whistle. For Van Bronckhorst, who is ending his playing career after the World Cup, it was the first goal of the tournament and only the sixth of his 105-match international career.
He said before the match that he wanted the Dutch to play more beautiful football, and the Netherlands captain showed the way with his stunning goal.
After a flowing passing move, he collected the ball 30 metres out on the left and hit a searing drive that beat the despairing dive of Fernando Muslera and flew into the net off the post.
Forlan’s 41st-minute equalizer was another powerful long-range shot, but Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg should have saved it. The Netherlands put the match out of Uruguay’s reach with two goals in quick succession in the second half.
Sneijder’s low shot in the 70th was deflected by Pereira and past Muslera. Then Robben leapt to head home a cross from the left by Dirk Kuyt.
The Netherlands, which lost in the 1974 and ’78 finals, was appearing in the World Cup semifinals for the first time since losing on penalties to Brazil in 1998. It was Uruguay’s first appearance in the final four since 1970.
Uruguay won the title in 1930 and again in 1950, but it reached this year’s semifinals in controversial fashion when Luis Suarez handled the ball on the goal line in the last minute of extra time against Ghana in the quarterfinals.
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