Drenthe the difference for Dutch

Netherlands 1-0 Republic of Ireland
Royston Drenthe's 72nd-minute free-kick earned the Netherlands victory against the Republic of Ireland in front of 6,000 fans at VVV Venlo's sold out Seacon - De Koel stadium. In only the third match between the two sides the Feyenoord defender brought the home crowd to their feet with a superb strike just as the game seemed to be heading towards a draw.

Penalty save
The evening had not started so well for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 champions who lost Ismaïl Assati to a calf injury just before kick off. Things went from bad to worse when Celtic FC midfielder Evander Sno hobbled off three minutes in. And it did not seem to be the home side's night when goalkeeper Boy Waterman gave away a 32nd minute penalty. The AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper, however, redeemed himself by stopping Stephen Ward's strike.

Schilder chance
The Jong Oranje came more into the game towards the end of the first half. First Drenthe came close before Robbert Schilder hit the post in added time with a shot from 20 metres. The Dutch, who will host this summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championship, could not build on that momentum in the second-half and it took a moment of brilliance from Drenthe to separate the sides.

Drenthe strikes
With 18 minutes to play Roy Beerens was brought down just outside the area, giving Drenthe the opportunity to convert the resulting free-kick. Ireland's hopes of getting back into the game ended when Tony Kane was dismissed after receiving his second yellow card late on.