MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Holland closer to Euro 2008 qualification.

Ruud van Nistelrooy of the Netherlands

Holland maintained their excellent record of never having lost a European Championship qualifying game at home, beating Bulgaria 2-0 at the Amsterdam Arena, and edging closer to ensuring a place at next year's finals which will be played in Austria/Switzerland.

Goals by "man of the match' Wesley Sneijder, and recently re-called Ruud van Nistelrooy, both now playing for Real Madrid in Spain, ensured victory over a tepid Bulgarian team, who showed a considerable lack of aggression until late in the match. The Dutch coach Marco van Basten dropped Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt to make way for van Nistelrooy who vowed never to play for Holland again, after being substituted in last year's World Finals, when Holland went out to Portugal. However van Nistelrooy recently called up van Basten and asked if he could return to the National squad. Sneijder, who left Ajax of Amsterdam to play for Real Madrid this season, ran the game, and it was no surprise when he opened the scoring after 21' with a fiercely driven free-kick from some 20 yards, which caught out Bulgarian goalkeeper Ivankov. Bulgarian coach Dimitar Penev later questioned his goalkeepers positioning for the free kick, as he seemed late in diving for the ball. Earlier the highly rated Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov scorned a great opportunity to put the Bulgarians in front when he headed wide of a gaping goal. Veteran defender Mario Melchiot was booked for tripping Telkiyski and the Bulgarian full back Lucio Wagner followed soon after, when he brought down the tricky Robin van Persie who threatened to run riot but could not manage a direct shot on target all night. The Dutch fans were surprisingly nervy and quieter than usual, knowing that a Dutch win was imperative following a couple of recent stuttering performances. The loudest roar of the night came at half-time when a Dutch fan won a cheque for ?50,000 ($40,000) during a competition which required the three contestants to try and hit the ball against the crossbar of the goal from fully 50 yards. To the delight of the 60,000 crowd, his aim was amazingly accurate, and he walked away with the money. The second half opened in much the same vein as the first with the Dutch pressurizing the Bulgarian defence which defended in great numbers. The vital second goal came after 50' when van Nistelrooy exchanged passes with the young Liverpool winger Ryan Babel. Just when it seemed that van Nistelrooy had waited too long to attempt a shot at goal, he suddenly turned and hit the ball low along the ground, just inside the post, and past the despairing dive of Ivankov, who may well have been unsighted by a defender. The second goal lifted the tension which had been apparent from the first whistle. Sneijder was substituted and quite rightly earned a standing ovation, and his replacement Clarence Seedorf was soon in action, striking the ball against the outside of the post. The Bulgarians, for the first time, began to get men forward and they created several good goal-scoring opportunities. However the Dutch goalkeeper and captain Edwin van der Sar was on excellent form and denied the Bulgarians with a number of top class saves. The most memorable came on the 83' when Berbatov showed his undoubted skill by bringing the ball down with his right instep, transferring it to his left as he turned, and firing in a great shot which van der Sar, at full stretch, managed to turn over the bar for a corner kick. The Dutch were grateful to the Wigan midfielder Demy de Zeeuw who made several important tackles and clearances, when the Bulgarians threatened. The Dutch defence began to 'creak' a little as Martin and Stilian Petrov combined well with Berbatov and following another quick passing movement, Dimitrov had a good chance to reduce the deficit but hit the ball into the side netting in the final minute of the match. The Bulgarian coach Panev expressed his disappointment with his three English Premiership based players, Berbatov, Martin Petrov and Stilan Petrov, saying while they are, "very good in England they missed many chances today". Panev added further criticism – "they should give their best for the national team and made mistakes today, we need 100% concentration from every player'. Marco van Basten paid tribute to all his players saying, "They all gave 100% today in what was always going to be a difficult match for us". Asked about the return of van Nistelrooy, he said "He is a skillful international player who asked to comeback, so I said okay". The 3 points moves Holland ahead of Bulgaria on 17 points from 7 games played. Romania top the group with 20 points from 8 games. Bulgaria remain on 15 points but have also played 8 games. The top two teams in the group automatically qualify for the finals next June. Holland can virtually ensure their presence in Austria/Switzerland next year if win in Albania next Wednesday. Patrick Watts – European Correspondent, Merco Press.