Oranje recover zest to see off Belarus

The Netherlands produced a convincing display to defeat Belarus in Eindhoven and go top of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group G. Belarus had goalkeeper Vasili Khomutovski to thank for keeping the scores down, but two goals either side of the break from Robin van Persie and a late third by Dirk Kuijt were enough for the Oranje.

Van Persie strikes
Keen to deliver a better performance than they had managed in Saturday's 1-0 win in Luxembourg, the Netherlands dominated from the start with a succession of corners and deep crosses into the Belarus box. The lively Van Persie popped up from nowhere just after the half-hour to fire a right-footed shot past Khomutovski and Wesley Sneijder was unlucky to see his right-footer hit the post three minutes later.

Dutch pressure
Kuijt and Klaas Jan Huntelaar both had opportunities to double the Dutch advantage before half-time but could offer little to seriously test the Belarus keeper. The second half began in much the same manner, with the Oranje applying the pressure but unable to find their way through. Van Persie finally made the points safe when a 78th-minute cross from defender André Ooijer found the Arsenal FC forward on the edge of the area and he curled a superb shot past Khomutovski. The hosts' third goal was then supplied by Van Persie whose cross was met by Kuijt's powerful header.