Netherlands revitalised following Latvia rout

• Wesley Sneijder says Dutch played "pretty well" in 6-0 defeat of Latvia
• Robin van Persie says early goal was a relief for nervy Oranje
• Guus Hiddink hopes his side have turned a corner in Group A
• Latvia captain Kaspars Gorkšs: "It's a learning curve – not a nice one"
• Next games: Netherlands v Turkey, Czech Republic v Latvia (28 March)

Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands midfielder
It was a great match and a good result. Tonight we made a big step and now we have to continue like this. We were really eager to win this game. Earlier this week we lost against Mexico [3-2 in a friendly], and we didn't do that well in the other qualifying matches as we only managed to beat Kazakhstan. So we needed the three points and we did it, and at the same time we played pretty well, with six beautiful goals.

Arjen Robben is an amazing player. It is good to have these kinds of players in your team.

Robin van Persie, Netherlands forward
We felt the pressure on us from all sides. I was a bit more nervous than usual – after all, we are human beings too. But when you start a match the way we did tonight and put in such a good performance, I can only be satisfied. We took the early lead this time, which was not what happened in the other Group A matches. When that happens, you can play a lot more easily. This was a fantastic game and we can build on this. We have started a series now, to be continued next year.

Guus Hiddink, Netherlands coach
I had a good feeling before the match, as the training sessions and tactical discussions after the friendly against Mexico were very intensive. When the players deliver what we want them to, that gives us confidence. That shot against the post in the first few minutes from Ibrahim Afellay was a good sign. We worked on recovering the ball fast. We started well with that, but the little cut above the eye for Jeffrey Bruma and the injury for Daley Blind put us off. If the game had kept flowing, we would have made it 2-0 earlier. But in the end we did well. The goal was to win. An atmosphere was created this week in which everybody wanted to improve himself. The most important thing is that we played well in a crucial match.

Kaspars Gorkšs, Latvia defender
It is very hard to look back and not say something harsh. It is never nice to lose, especially by a margin like this. No one goes out expecting a result like this.

Football is a funny game. We knew we would not get many chances, so it was up to us to make the most of the few we got, but we didn't, and instead conceded a lot of goals. It's a learning curve – not a nice one, but it is a learning curve. You have your good days and your bad days in football. You have to enjoy the good ones and try to learn from the bad ones like we had today.

Marians Pahars, Latvia coach
Our opponents were too good. A 6-0 defeat is hard to take. It was not a good moment to face the Dutch team.