WORLD CUP USA ‘94: ROUND OF 16 : Dutch Happy With Gifts From Irish : Soccer: First-half defensive lapses are too much for Ireland to overcome in 2-0 loss to Netherlands.
When Wim Jonk’s 25-yard shot slipped through the hands of Irish goalkeeper Pat Bonner and rolled into the yawning mouth of the net, Ireland’s World Cup hopes slipped away too.
Just as Bonner was helpless to recover from his inexplicable mistake Monday, his Irish teammates were helpless to erase a two-goal deficit against a determined and diligent Dutch team.
Jonk’s goal, in the 41st minute, launched the Netherlands to a 2-0 second-round victory and into the World Cup quarterfinals, the country’s best showing since its runner-up finishes in 1974 and ’78. The Dutch created other chances Monday that were more dazzling than Jonk’s shot, but none had more impact than the midfielder’s direct but stoppable blast.
“It was important to get another goal before halftime,” Dutch Coach Dick Advocaat said. “The Irish really went for it in the second half, but you could see they tired. We played well in the first half, and even though the Irish played better in the second half, they never looked like they would win the match.”
Said Dennis Bergkamp, who scored the first goal after a misplay by Irish defender Terry Phelan: “Any lead is important, but two goals up on the Irish made them work harder in the second half. . . . I think they made mistakes because of our positive, attacking play. We deserved the goals. We made it very difficult for them.”
Although Bonner got a substantial part of the ball, he couldn’t explain the difficulty he had with Jonk’s shot. Time froze as the ball trickled behind him.
“I got my hands on the ball, but it just squirmed out of my hands and went into the net,” Bonner said. “The ball was coming in at an angle, and if I had taken it earlier it would have bounced off my hands and gone for a corner (kick). But because I stayed by my net, when it came to my hands and went out of my hands, it went into the goal. I still don’t know what happened. It has got to be me that takes the blame.”
Bonner’s guilt aside, there was more credit to be given the Dutch than blame heaped on the Irish.
Playing before a lively crowd of 61,255 at the Florida Citrus Bowl, both teams entertained their large and loyal followings with early offensive thrusts. The singing, drum-beating fans in vivid orange and the outnumbered but spirited fans in emerald green each had their moments of joy, until Bergkamp seized the moment for Holland in the 11th minute.
It was an unfortunate goal against the Irish, scored after Marc Overmars intercepted Phelan’s header, beat defender Phil Babb and passed to his left to Bergkamp for a tap-in. It forced the Irish to change their tactics and press forward, a change the Dutch exploited.
“They had to come at us,” Bergkamp said, “and I’m not really sure that’s their game.”
Ireland’s game revolves around controlling the midfield, running forever and looping long passes toward the goal to generate one or two high-percentage chances. The Dutch defense denied them those opportunities after the opening minutes, keying on Steve Staunton and Tommy Coyne and starting counterattacks when the Irish sent extra players up field.
“What do I say? We’re going home,” said Ireland Coach Jack Charlton, who held a consolation cigar at his postgame news conference. “We might have gone out in a little bit of a different way. When you give away two silly goals it leaves a bad feeling in the mouths of some people, but, all in all, I could ask no more of the players.”
Not that they were ready to leave their second World Cup tournament, one in which they upset Italy and finished second in “the group of death,” a quartet that included Italy, Norway and Mexico.
“I honestly don’t think we did ourselves justice today,” said defender Paul McGrath, who played on the 1990 squad that lost to Italy in the quarterfinals.
Bonner agreed. “If Holland had scored two nice goals from 10 pass movements, that would be one thing, but to lose when you’ve shot yourself in each foot, it’s very, very frustrating.”
The Dutch, who will face Brazil on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, are 3-1 and more impressive with each game. They’ve scored six goals and given up only three, and on Monday they dictated a comfortable and confident pace.
“We played very strongly in the first half and were able to play in a very high rhythm,” said Ronald Koeman, again a standout on defense. “The second half we played more defensively, but we could do that with a 2-0 lead.”
The talk about how they would do if Marco van Basten had been healthy and if Ruud Gullit hadn’t quit the team in a huff has died down.
“We have to do it with the players we have,” winger Bryan Roy said, “and at the moment, it’s going very well.”
