The Netherlands maintained their 100% record in South Africa 2010 and slipped past Slovakia and into the quarter finals. Arjen Robben celebrated his start with a superb strike which set the scene for a Dutch win and earned him a rave review from Bert van Marwijk.

 

“It’s fantastic. After such an injury that he has the touch to score a goal like that” said the Dutch coach. Wesley Schneider’s second half strike was ultimately required to separate the sides but Robben’s goal paved the way. The Bayern Munich player was very happy saying “For me personally it was a great experience to be back on the pitch again from the first minute and to be decisive for the team. It was a great feeling if you can do it in the first game, straight away.”

The Dutch weren’t infallible and Robben admitted that they would need to improve to get to the semi-finals.