Holland heap misery on Brazil with World Cup third-place play-off win
Daley Blind, centre, scores Holland’s second goal during the World Cup third-place play-off against Brazil. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Wilful cruelty, needless indignity or sheer torture? Luiz Felipe Scolari and his Brazil players could take their pick after finding the third place play-off anything but a road to redemption. Instead, a second stumble in the space of a week ensured they headed off into highly uncertain futures with the jeers of the Brasília public ringing in their even victory would have provided a mere fig leaf of respectability, a modicum of consolation, in the wake of Tuesday night's 7-1 humbling at German hands, but such a Brazilian win was never on the agenda. It never deserved to be either; not on the day Louis van Gaal signed off as the over-achieving coach of the Netherlands with a supremely controlled triumph that left his players clutching a bronze medal holland were ahead inside three minutes. Thiago Silva is supposed to be Brazil's most reliable defender but, when he hauled down Arjen Robben, the centre-half conceded a penalty and was extremely fortunate to only be shown a yellow, rather than a red, card. If there can be no doubt Robben was denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, Silva's separate – possibly legitimate – argument that contact had occurred marginally outside the area fell on deaf unconcerned that the defender should, arguably, have been sent off but a mere free kick awarded, Robin van Persie stepped forward to the 12-yard spot. Although goalkeeper Júlio César guessed correctly, the Manchester United striker's penalty, struck into the top right-hand corner, was far too good for him. It was Van Persie's fourth goal of the van Gaal had made it abundantly clear he would much rather have headed straight to Manchester, to begin his new job in charge at Old Trafford, after Holland's defeat by Argentina, on penalties, on Wednesday night. He has long lobbied for the abolition of this most unnecessary, totally meaningless, fixture, but even
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