Dutch coach Marco van Basten was undoubtedly a very pleased man after his side's stunning 3-0 win over world champions Italy in their Group C opener at Euro 2008.

The Netherlands won 3-0, but it was not the win, but the manner in which the Oranje played, that would have pleased the coach, who was part of Holland's Euro 1988 winning team. And with it coming without the likes of Arjen Robben and Ryan Babel, Van Basten echoed the sentiments of many fans across the world by saying that the Dutch have earned the right to believe that they could go far in this tournament.

The win gives Holland a real chance of progressing from Group C. Their next game is against France, who put up a lacklustre display to draw 0-0 with Romania in Zurich. And it is not without good reason that the Dutch will start as favourites against the French.  Van Basten's team has been written off by several pundits, who have claimed that the team is not defensively strong enough. There have also been rumours of rifts within the camp. However, if they continue playing the way they did in their group opener, the Dutch juggernaut will prove hard to stop.