The Netherlands defeated Italy convincingly by three goals to nil in their Group C encounter and as obvious the reaction from the Dutch camp is pretty much that of buoyancy and optimism.
The Dutch were in cruise control throughout the match and deservedly won the match which makes qualification for the last 8 from this Group of Death that much easier.
Here are the reactions from the various Orange personnel. First to the birthday boy Wesley Sneijder who scored the second goal in the match which was also the best. He had to say this after the match:
“My first feeling is, we did it as a team. We played very well and deserved to win.
“The first game in the pool is always the important one. We won it 3-0, it has created some confidence, but we don’t have time to celebrate. On Friday there is a second important game against France. The thing we have to do is win that game.”
Dutch coach Marco van Basten was also pretty much jubiliant in the wake of this historic victory for the Dutch over the Italians and said:
“This is a dream start.To win 3-0 against Italy, a team with so much experience and quality in their team - we didn’t expect that.
“It was a truly good team performance from the whole team.
“The first game is always a big match, and the whole team gave a performance and then to win 3-0. It is a fantastic, historical performance.”
But Dutch legend Johan Cruyff was not too pleased with the tactics employed by Van Basten during the match and apprehended to De Telegraff:
“Holland has a good side but their way of playing does not coincide with mine.
“Van basten is a great friend of mine but sometimes I have doubts over his tactics.
“Players like Robben, Babel and Van Persie are all great and they offer depth and create space.”
Anyway, the Dutch are basking in Orange glory and no one can take anything away from them for the moment.