World Cup Soccer: Netherlands defeats Brazil, 2-1

World Cup Soccer just saw another titan exit the tournament today. Brazil was defeated by the boys from Holland as the Netherlands left the field with 2-1 win over the #1 ranked international football team in the world.

Brazil’s Robinho had put his nations up very early in the game, with a beautiful touch in the 10th minute of the match. With a center pass from midfield that barely left the ground, the ball found Robinho streaking down the middle of the field like a wide receiver against blown coverage.

Brazil would hold on to the lead, and control of the ball, throughout the first half of the match. However, it wasn’t the Netherlands that would seize control of the game in the second half, instead it was Brazil that would give it away. Off a free kick from about 25 yards outside of the penalty box, the Netherlands kicked the ball into the box, where Brazil’s own Felipe Melo would accidentally head the ball into his own net. The Brazilian goalkeeper had come off his line to grab the ball out of the air, but for some reason he failed to connect, and Melo’s header was—well, let’s just say it was a “little” off-target.

That was just the equalizer though. And up until that point, Brazil was playing better soccer. The Netherlands, however, would start to turn it around and scored the go-ahead goal in the 68th minute off a corner kick. It was Wesley Sneijder who would head the ball in after the ball had ricochet off the head of another Brazilian defender.

From then on, the Brazilian’s would just fall apart. Melo, who had ceded the own goal, got a red card and an ejection in the 73rd minute for kicking a Netherlands player while on the ground. That ejection came just 5 minutes after giving up the go-ahead goal, all but taking away any surge Brazil could have made to try and score the equalizer.

With Brazil out of the way, many people find the Netherlands to be the top team left in the World Cup. They were a sleeper pick to win the tournament at the start, but now they have proven themselves as worthy as any other team of winning the Cup.

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