Van Nistelrooij praises Sweden

'Great team'
Van Nistelrooij scored twice last night as the Dutch defeated Latvia 3-0 to finish behind the Czech Republic in Group D and secure a last-eight meeting with the Group C winners on Saturday. "Sweden are a great team and it will be a hard match," said the Manchester United FC forward. "They're playing the best football in the tournament so far and their strikers are in form and have scored a lot of goals. We have to make sure we control them."

'Tremendous support'
The quarter-final will be played at Faro-Loulé, a short drive from Albufeira where the team and many of their fans are based. "It's a home match wherever we go in this country - there's orange everywhere!" Van Nistelrooij continued. "The support we get is tremendous and that certainly helped get us through the bad moments we had before."

Recovery session
The Netherlands would have been eliminated had Germany beaten the Czechs irrespective of their result against Latvia. A 2-1 loss for the Germans in Lisbon, however, was the cue for a huge party in Braga, EURO 2004™'s most northerly venue. The players flew back to the Algarve last night and had a recovery training session at midday. Hundreds of fans were in attendance, chanting "champions, champions".

Advocaat relaxed
Coach Dick Advocaat looked relaxed for the first time in days, with his tactics in the defeat by the Czechs having met with much consternation. "It's nice for the coach now," said Van Nistelrooij. "It hasn't been an enjoyable time for him. We know football is an emotional game - on the field and in the stands - but now we're going into the quarter-finals it's a wonderful feeling."

Bouma out
Defender Wilfred Bouma did not train today and is still receiving treatment for an achilles injury which kept him out of last night's game, Frank de Boer stepping in for his 111th appearance. "I came to this tournament to play and now I have," said De Boer, who was dropped after the 1-0 play-off first-leg loss to Scotland. "The result made it a fantastic return and I think I showed I am ready." Bouma, meanwhile, will undergo an MRI scan to determine the seriousness of his injury.

Top scorer
Van Nistelrooij's two goals in Braga moved him into the top ten all-time Dutch scorers' list - 18 goals in 36 matches - and to the top of the EURO 2004™ chart with four, alongside Wayne Rooney of England. "I'm happy that my goals are important," he said. "That's what it's all about as a striker and I hope that continues into the next game."

Makaay hope
The 27-year-old will again lead the line against Sweden, with Roy Makaay starting on the bench despite a goalscoring cameo against Latvia. "It was a good feeling personally but most importantly helped us into the quarter-finals," Makaay said. "Obviously I want to play every match but I know that Ruud is in good shape. It can only be good for the side that we keep each other sharp."