'Derby der Lage Landen'

Ask about the rivalry between the Netherlands and Belgium - the 'Derby der Lage Landen' or Low Countries derby - and talk always returns to the FIFA World Cup play-off between the two sides in 1985.

Grün grins
Belgium won the first leg 1-0 in Brussels on 16 October but it looked like the Netherlands would qualify after goals from Peter Houtman and Rob de Wit put them in control in Rotterdam three weeks later. Georges Grün, however, broke Dutch hearts and sent Belgium into raptures by striking late on to steer the Red Devils to Mexico on the away-goals rule. The Oranje excluded, the rest of the world had much to thank Grün for, as Belgium went on to set the tournament alight. A thrilling team inspired by Enzo Scifo and including the likes of Jan Ceulemans, Erik Gerets, Jean-Marie Pfaff and Frankie Vercauteren went all the way to the semi-finals. Only the brilliance of Diego Maradona brought an end to their dreams.

Distant memory
That seems like a distant memory. Belgium have failed to qualify for a major championship since the 2002 FIFA World Cup and a place at UEFA EURO 2008™ looks unlikely. Step forward Jean-François De Sart's Under-21s who are breathing fresh hope into the national set-up. His players, though, are so familiar with their Dutch counterparts that tonight's Group A encounter at SC Heerenveen's Abe Lenstra is more a meeting of friends than rivals with five of the Belgium side playing their football in the Dutch Eredivisie. "They know each other very well and a lot of text messages are being sent at the moment," Netherlands coach Foppe de Haan said. The 63-year-old remembers the days when matches between the teams really captured the imagination. "In the past there was only one game, the one against Belgium. They were the Red Devils and that really meant something to me when I was a young guy. Now it's just another game. There's not much of a rivalry any more."

Feyemoord
Only Austria and Hungary, and Argentina and Uruguay have faced off more than Belgium and the Netherlands. The first international between the pair was on 30 April 1905 with Eddy de Neve scoring all four Oranje goals in a 4-1 victory. Until the early 1960s they met home and away every year and these were the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the season, unfolding in front of packed stadiums. By the time De Haan was born on 26 June 1943, Belgium and the Netherlands had already locked horns 60 times. In all, there have been 124 Low Countries derbies at senior level with Netherlands winning 55 and Belgium 40. One local squabble De Haan will recall took place in Rotterdam on 4 October 1959, when Belgium were humiliated 9-1 at Feyenoord's De Kuip stadium before 63,000 spectators. It has been known ever since as 'Feyemoord' - the Feyermurder.

Strong links
Seven years earlier the game was the first away international to be broadcast on Dutch television. So great was the demand to see it that one electronics shop window smashed under the pressure of people leaning against the glass to follow the action on display inside. The success of the Oranje at club and national-team level in the 1970s contributed to the demise of interest in the match in the Netherlands, where Germany supplanted Belgium as main rivals. The fixture still holds some resonance in Belgium though passions do not run as high as they used to. "It's a special game, but since EURO 2000 we have built very strong links with each other," De Sart said. These ties will be renewed at the Abe Lenstra tonight.