Netherlands beaten on penalties by Uruguay
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Article summary
Uruguay 1-1 Netherlands (Uruguay win 4-3 on pens)
Liverpool FC strikers Luis Suárez and Dirk Kuyt traded late goals before the home side claimed the Copa Confraternidad on spot kicks in Montevideo.
Article top media content
Article body
Uruguay 1-1 Netherlands (Uruguay won 4-3 on pens)
Dirk Kuyt struck in added time but the South American side eventually prevailed on spot kicks to claim the the Copa Confraternidad title.
The Netherlands, top of UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group E, fell behind in Montevideo to a Luis Suárez strike nine minutes from time. Suárez's Liverpool FC strike partner Dirk Kuyt equalised in added time, however, before matters were decided in a penalty shoot-out.
In a repeat of the 2010 FIFA World Cup semi-final, in which the Oranje prevailed 3-2, Edinson Cavani had the best first-half chance to break the deadlock but saw his header cleared off the line by Erik Pieters. He played a pivotal role in his team finally finding the net, though, beating Jeffrey Bruma before pulling back for Suárez to finish.
Although Kuyt struck back, penalties ensued in order to decide the Copa Confraternidad title. Robin van Persie and Eljero Elia both missed from the spot to enable Uruguay to triumph and claim a measure of revenge for last summer's loss in South Africa. "It was a very useful experience," said Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk, whose team drew 0-0 with Brazil on Saturday. "We could even have won these two matches and that is a compliment to the players."
