The Netherlands World Cup 1998

The Netherlands World Cup 1998

The Dutch rarely fail to entertain at World Cups. Despite having never won the holy grail of international football, the nation often brings out its best on the grandest stage. Amongst all the fabled generations that footballing behemoths go through and the talent that they breed, it’s the Dutch that do it best.

Over time, names like Johan Cruyff, Rinus Michels, Ruud Krol and Arjen Robben have put the Netherlands on the football map. Perhaps their most famous team in recent memory was the class of 1998 – barring the brutal infamy of the class of 2010 – which cemented the players’ name in footballing folklore for a generation, despite their greatest success coming a decade earlier.

The class of 1998 had big names like Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and Frank de Boer. This golden generation is known for it’s unlucky exits at big tournaments. Losing all of their tournaments by penalties. Their succes came on top of the Ajax dominance in Europe, winning the 1995/1996 Champions League and the lost final the year after that.

The Dutch had a flawless tournament in 1998, until they met underdogs Argentina in the quarter finals. After a tight and very hard game they prevailed. A long pass from Frank de Boer reached Dennis Bergkamp, who produced something out of this world. He controlled the ball mid air, cut through the legs of Ayala and finished by shooting the ball in the op corner with the outside of his foot. Absolut wondergoal, you can wacth on our Instagram page. Next up, semi finals, Brazil…

Brazil vs. The Netherlands

Brazil were in brilliant form in France. With the attacking line of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Bebeto supported by the evergreen Dunga and Leonardo in midfield, they overcame the like of Norway, Denmark and Chile on their way to the final four. Holland would, however, surely provide their toughest challenge thus far.

After a tense first half, where chances were few and far between, the second half saw an opening. Ronaldo grabbed his fourth goal of the tournament after wonderfully receiving and finishing a sumptuous Rivaldo pass. Just like their last-16 and quarter-final ties, Oranje needed another late show to salvage their campaign. After some shoddy Brazilian defending, the ball ended up with Ronald de Boer on the wing who sent a superb cross into Kluivert. He made amends for his sending off earlier in the tournament with a powerful header past Cláudio Taffarel to send the game towards an extra 30 minutes.

Extra-time brought out another gear in the armoury of Ronaldo, who was arguably the best footballer in the world at the time. His first attempt in the extra 30 was a fine bicycle kick that was heading into an empty net had it not been for an important clearance from Frank de Boer off the line. The second attempt saw one of the most important saves of the tournament. After wriggling clear of a few challenges, he made space for himself and hit a powerful drive, only to see it saved by Van der Sar. The semi-final would go to penalties to determine a team to face the hosts in the final.

An enthralling fixture would end in tragic disappointment for one. The Brazilian quartet of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Emerson and Dunga all hit immaculate penalties. And while the attacking set were perfect, the goalkeeping was flawless. Taffarel rightly guessed all four Oranje penalties and made two decisive saves. Frank de Boer, who was perhaps the best player that evening, and Bergkamp – probably their best player in the campaign – both managed to ease their nerves and score. It was Cocu who missed the crucial penalty and Frank’s brother, Ronald, who missed the all-settling spot-kick after a weak attempt. Brazil were through, while Holland were heading home in the worst way possible.

Their third-place game was mere consolation against the dismay of losing the semi-final. They faced further sorrow against Croatia, falling to a 2-1 defeat after a spirited display.

However, their final two games shouldn’t undo a memorable display of Dutch competence. Goals, tackles, passes and composure were demonstrated in abundance – a nod to the Netherlands’ exceptional player development. Whether it was Bergkamp’s winner against Argentina, Davids’ strike against Yugoslavia, Van der Sar’s show-stoppers in goal or Frank de Boer’s fearlessness and leadership in the back, this Oranje side remain one of the best to have not lifted the World Cup.

The Shirt
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