Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Netherlands register convincing victory over Ghana in warm-up tie

June 02, 2010 10:03 IST

Dirk Kuyt celebrates after scoring against GhanaNetherlands coach Bert van Marwijk seems to have built a solid framework for his team who cruised to a 4-1 World Cup warm-up win over Ghana on Tuesday.

Dirk Kuyt cut in from the right flank to open the scoring after half-an-hour when he netted a rebound after goalkeeper Richard Kingson blocked a shot from Robin van Persie.

The Dutch added three more in the last 20 minutes although a defensive blunder by Joris Mathijsen allowed Asamoah Gyan to pull a goal back five minutes after Rafael van der Vaart had doubled the home side's lead in the 73rd minute.

Wesley Sneijder then got the best goal of the night against a disappointing World Cup-bound Ghana side when he volleyed home from a Van der Vaart corner from outside the area.

Striker Van Persie added a fourth from the penalty spot, his third goal in two matches, after Kingson fouled Van der Vaart.

With only Arjen Robben missing, with a minor hip strain, Van Marwijk gave midfielder Ibrahim Afellay a run out and reserve goalkeepers Michel Vorm and Sander Boschker played a half each.

The coach had named his 23-man squad for the finals on May 27, the day after Netherlands beat Mexico 2-1 with a Van Persie double in a friendly played in Freiburg, Germany.

They host Hungary on Saturday in their final warm-up match before travelling to South Africa, where they face Denmark on June 14 followed by Japan and Cameroon in Group E.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.