Netherlands aim to end Slovakian giant killing

DURBAN, South Africa (AP):

The Netherlands have been more substance than style so far at the World Cup and Bert van Marwijk's team is happy to stay that way to beat giant killer Slovakia and secure a spot in the quarter-finals.

The Netherlands start as favourite to win, but will not be taking anything for granted today in Durban after Slovakia's 3-2 defeat of Italy in group play, which sent the defending champion home.

"If we want to play well against the Netherlands we will have to at least repeat our performance against Italy," Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss said yesterday.

Slovakia also boasts one of the tournament's leading scorers in Robert Vittek, whose three goals place him at the top of the scoring table with six other players.

Despite Vittek's scoring record, Van Marwijk called Slovakia "a very tough team without real stars".

Van Marwijk wants his team to control possession and patiently probe for openings in the opponent's defence. It might not please all fans as Dutch "total football" does, but it wins matches, Van Marwijk argues. Even so, he sees room for improvement.

"We can play better and more beautifully," Van Marwijk said.

Van Marwijk's method has served the Netherlands well; the team is on a record 22-match unbeaten run dating back to September 2008.

Unaffordable nonchalance

"If we are as concentrated as during the first two games and look for space with direct moves, then we are at our best," he said. "Then we have patience, we have speed we can score. But you cannot afford to play that nonchalantly for 20 minutes."

The Netherlands, losing World Cup finalist in 1974 and 1978, beat Denmark 2-0 and Japan 1-0 in their first two games for a perfect record in the group phase.

Slovakia drew 1-1 with New Zealand and lost 2-0 to Paraguay before the decisive victory over Italy sent them into the round of 16.

Van Marwijk said Slovakia will be dangerous because less is expected of them.

"We came here as newcomers and outsiders," Vittek said after his two goals helped decide the upset of Italy. "But we have already surprised once and we want to do it again. We really have moved the limits of Slovak football somewhere else."

Weiss said his team would play with the same spirit against the Netherlands as it did against Italy.

"They are the favourites but you never know," Weiss said. "They have attacking players like (Wesley) Sneijder and Van der Vaart. It's not easy to play against these guys. They won all their matches at the group stage. They are a fantastic team with fantastic players."

The 2010 World Cup debut of Arjen Robben as a second half substitute against Cameroon gave Dutch fans hope for more beautiful football.

"We are all very happy he is back," Netherlands captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst said. "Arjen is a player who is very important for the team."