Holland (2) 0 Kuyt 10, Van der Vaart 38
England (0) 2 Defoe 49, 77
Att. 50,000
Entrance: £31
Programme: Free
Mileage: 616/1,015
Match Report
England’s season of destiny began last night in the Amsterdam ArenA in a pre-season friendly against a Holland side rated as third in the world. In a game that far exceeded my expectations, England served up a mixture of lows and highs to come away with a creditable draw.Wherever they are in the world, the Dutch rarely fail to create an atmosphere of gaudy colour and vibrancy, and this occasion didn’t fail to deliver. England fans contributed greatly and it is nice to be able to report that this was done with good behaviour and a fair amount of positivity.
The proceedings were opened with a minute’s respect for Sir Bobby Robson. I’m sure the Dutch had planned for it to be marked with silence and although the England support decided they would do it their way, with applause and singing, there was nothing disrespectful in its manner. In fact, as the home support caught on to what was happening they too joined in.
The game started with an early half-chance for Emile Heskey before some calamitous defending allowed Dirk Kuyt to opening the scoring for the home side. Rio Ferdinand’s inexplicably under-hit back pass fell short of Rob Green, allowing Kuyt to skip past the keeper before composing himself to shoot into the net despite a despairing attempt on the line by John Terry.
England responded from setback and had a trio of attempts on goal before another sloppy piece of defending allowed Holland a second goal. Gareth Barry dropped a pass backwards but only into the path of Arjen Robben who motored clear. Green made a good save to thwart the ex-Chelsea winger but the rebound fell straight to Rafael van der Vaart who drove home.
England had given just about as good as they got in the first half, but had been undone by two shocking pieces of defending. Indeed, between the two goals, Frank Lampard was also rescued by Green from another poorly directed back pass.
Jermain Defoe replaced Heskey for the second half and within four minutes put England back into the game. Latching onto a pass over the top from Lampard, Defoe raced clear, held off a challenge to score off a post with an excellent, composed finish. The England fans who had not allowed themselves to become dispirited during the first half, no doubt helped by a day’s serious drinking in the city centre, raised the noise level as the opportunity for a result increased.
The ever-willing Wayne Rooney was replaced by Carlton Cole and Ashley Young came off to give James Milner his first senior cap. Cole caught me by surprise with an outstanding 20 minute cameo and also had me out of my seat in premature celebration with a magnificent turn and hit that I thought had found the bottom corner, only to be embarrassed as the goal kick was taken as my attention turned back to the field of play.When James Milner, who had a more effective period on the pitch than Young, won a challenge midway in the Dutch half and then outstripped his marker to cross for Defoe to slide in and touch home the equaliser, it was no more than England deserved. Chances fell to Defoe and Cole in the final minutes as the visitors finished the game well on top.
England fans filed away at the final whistle, still singing their homage to Sir Bobby, and buoyed by a result that showed that there is depth to Fabio Cappello’s squad. But they would also have been reflecting on those first half errors and some poor defensive performances. Glenn Johnson made one wonder why Liverpool had invested such a huge amount of money in him, likewise Manchester City fans would have looked on in horror at a poor performance from Gareth Barry.
When I first visited the Amsterdam ArenA back in 2002 I was awestruck by the magnificent stadium with its steep banks of seating. Last night I was very, very high in the stand, but even at that lofty perch it was still a great view and the players faces were easily recognised. But in the intervening seven years, the ArenA has been upstaged by new stadiums, not least Wembley, around Europe. It is still a fine venue that creates a wonderful atmosphere, but the Dutch could party and raise the roof in a tent.
Around the city during the day there was no hint of the trouble that follows England around with both sets of supporters getting stuck into the delights that Amsterdam offers. They mingled happily in the bars and I came to the conclusion that the reason they get on so well is that the Dutch are a similar bunch of piss heads to our own!
And some shots of Amsterdam
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