Netherlands 3-0 Italy

Amsterdam vs. Florence. Van Gogh vs. da Vinci. Chocolate-covered waffles vs. lemon gelato. There are a lot of sources for international comparison between the Netherlands and Italy, and soccer is no exception. The Oranje and Azzurri have long been powerhouses on both the European and international stages; their meeting in Group C of Euro 08 on Tuesday marked the first marquee match of this young tournament, as well as the first I've been able to watch whistle-to-whistle. Boy, did I pick the right time to watch an entire game.

The result was shocking on both ends, as a team that many had dismissed as overrated and lacking a decent defense was relentless even with a two-goal lead, while a team crowned World Cup champions less than two years ago was humbly reminded that it's not 2006 anymore. A 3-0 victory for the Dutch puts them in a better position than they ever could have imagined with two to play; alone atop the hardest group, with a +3 goal differential. How they pulled it off was stunning, from the goals themselves to the way they played with a lead.

The Dutch offense knifed through Italian backs all night. There were square balls that allowed them to switch the field and advance effectively. There were were long balls to the corner flag that connected. There were through balls timed perfectly that gave Ruud van Nistelrooy and co. many chances. It all seemed to click for Marco van Basten's troops after the first 20 minutes, when both teams settled down. I should point out that Van Nistelrooy's first goal shouldn't have counted; he was several feet offsides, and the questionable call was the first of many by the center ref on this night. He did an excellent job of redirecting a Wesley Sneijder ball in from the six-yard box, but he was obviously the last orange jersey before the keeper, and was clearly in an illegal position when he scored. The official explanation was that an injured Italian player past the end line counted as the last line of defense, but the guy was injured and off the field; if someone can show me in a rule book where an injured guy three feet off the goal line counts as the last line of defense, then I'll be quiet. Until then, it's worth noting repeatedly that this was a terrible break for the Italians that they didn't deserve.

Ruud's goal knocked Italy back on their heels, but they had a chance for rebuttal off a corner. An inswinger into the Dutch goal mouth was cleared on the line. What followed was an awesome counterattack goal, the kind you usually only see in a Tuesday night indoor league. No officiating to blame for this one. Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst sped up field, unchecked after clearing, receiving the ball and switching fields perfectly to Dirk Kuyt at the right edge of the penalty box. Kuyt's setup header to Sneijder produced a sick near-post half-volley that beat Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon. In only five minutes, the Dutch were up 2-0 on the defending world champs, a mere two-thirds into the first half. It would've been very easy for them to sit on their lead, packing their defense in, playing a possession game, and sucking all the fun out of the game. Instead, the Netherlands continued to attack. It was a very entertaining, end-to-end style, one where you might not necessarily have known who had the lead if you hadn't seen the scoreboard. The final goal also came on a counterattack, one where Edwin van der Sar's diving save led to a go-for-broke counter by the Dutch, completely unneeded at that point in the game, that resulted in an odd ten-yard header goal for Van Bronckhorst. I don't think two more exciting goals could be played out on the latest FIFA video game. It'll be interesting to see if this strategy is used if the Dutch are in a must-win game and protecting a one-goal lead; it's definitely exciting from a fan's perspective, but might not be the best choice if you're a native who prefers a win over some drama.

As for Italy, they were put in a situation where they were not at all comfortable: playing from behind. While this might seem obvious, one of the things that made the Italians so good on their championship run was their ability to get a 1-0 lead and sit on it like a plump mother hen. They definitely missed defensive leader Fabio Cannavaro. By the time their offensive playmakers (Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Luca Toni) got on track in the second half, they were in a hole and pushing their entire formation up, which made them susceptible to transition play. Van der Sar made amazing saves on Toni, Pirlo, and Alessandro Del Piero in the final 20 minutes, showing why even at age 37 he's one of the best goalies in the world. The Italians finished strong and still have a chance t make it out of this group, but they cannot be slow out of the gate against Romania. They started the game lethargic and off, and it made a normally unflappable group desperate after a bam-bam five minutes that hit right between the eyes.

The last thing worth mentioning before I hit the sack is that the officiating in this game was truly horrendous. It wasn't just the offsides call. There was at least one corner that careened off a charging Italian player's chest across the goal line, but was still called a corner for Italy. There was a lazy and dangerous challenge from famous culprit Marco Materazzi on Van Nistelrooy that should've been a free kick just outside the box. I'm sure I could find more examples of poor officiating in this one on both sides; the point of course is that if UEFA set out to find a diverse group of refs from the continent for Euro 08, they should've made sure they were qualified; this guy looked in way over his head, even seeming unsure after some fouls whether he wanted to draw his book or give a slap on the wrist. Hopefully this is one of the last times we have to talk about the refs.