Man-of-the-Match Sneijder pulls Holland through again
By DPA, IANSFriday, July 2, 2010
PORT ELIZABETH - Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder scored a goal and earned his third man of the match award of in 2010 World Cup football Friday as he pulled Holland through to a 2-1 victory in a quarterfinal battle with favourites Brazil.
Sneijder, a diminutive number 10 popped up in the penalty box in the 68th minute to home the winner, 15 minutes after his free-kick from the right went in off the head of Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo.
The victory capped a great season for Sneijder who was Inter Milan’s most influential player on their way to winning the Italian League and UEFA Champions League.
“I still don’t know why Real let him go,” said former Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, who bought Sneijder from the Spanish club.
“Sometimes at clubs, there’s a logic that’s hard to understand. Today, he’s a key member of our team.”
Sneijder, 26, has now scored 16 goals in 65 games for the Netherlands but has come into his own at this tournament where coach Bert van Marwijk has given him a free-ranging role which has seen him feature as the lynchpin of most Dutch attacks.
Sneijder was previously a stalwart of the Dutch team in the 2006 World Cup and was names in the team of the tournament at Euro 2008, where the Netherlands swept aside both Italy and France in the group stage.
A prodigious passer with both feet, Sneijder also has an uncanny sense of positioning and one of the most fearsome shots in world football, both from dead balls and open play.
Born in Utrecht he learned the game at Ajax where he made his Eredivisie debut at the age of 18. He was bought by Real Madrid in 2007 for 27 million euros (33 million dollars) and scored nine goals in his successful first season at the Spanish giants.
The following year could hardly have been more different, though, as the Dutchman suffered the effects of a pre-season injury. Sidelined for three months, he lost his place in the starting line-up and never regained it. That opened the door to his Serie A switch to Inter in August 2009.
