July 6, 2010 - 2:30 PM
@ Cape Town
Netherlands –1.35 over Uruguay PINNACLE
The "South American World Cup" took a turn for the worse when three of their four teams were eliminated in the quarterfinals at the hands of European teams. Uruguay, the second smallest nation participating in the tournament, is the last South American team standing and now must face the Netherlands for a spot in the final. The 'Oranje' shocked the world (but not us) and knocked off football superpower Brazil with a very impressive 2-1 victory. They trailed 1-0 at halftime and then did the unthinkable in scoring two unanswered goals in the second half. The Brazilians were all over the Netherlands early in the contest, scoring a goal in just the 10th minute, due to a number of Dutch defensive blunders. The Netherlands buckled down defensively and held the Brazilians to just a handful of opportunities as the game progressed. The Dutch hadn't been out of third gear in this World Cup prior to its victory over Brazil but they still entered that match playing impressive football on both sides of the ball. They swept through their group with relatively easy victories over Denmark, Japan and Cameroon. Holland would have kept a clean sheet throughout the group stage if not for a converted penalty kick by Samuel Eto'o. They were robbed of another shutout in their Round-16 match vs. Slovakia when the Slovaks were wrongly awarded a penalty kick in the dying seconds of stoppage time. The Dutch have only allowed 16 shots on target in the entire tournament and only one of its three goals allowed has been surrendered from regular play. The Uruguayans have also played a tight game defensively in this World Cup, surrendering just 18 shots on target and two goals. They shared an auspicious honor with only Portugal in keeping a clean sheet throughout the group stage. Uruguay won their group in impressive fashion, with victories against both Mexico and South Africa and a draw against France. They dominated South Korea in their Round-16 match, even though the score line would only read 2-1. When Uruguay was not just focused on stopping the Koreans, they were nearly impossible to contain and dispossess. They fell behind 1-0, in their quarterfinal match against Ghana, when goalkeeper Nestor Muslera was caught napping on a shot from long range. Diego Forlan netted the equalizer in the second half and Uruguay went on to win, via penalty kicks, in what was certainly the most dramatic game of this World Cup. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez have announced themselves to the world as one of the most lethal combos in international play. Forlan is a magician with the ball and Suarez is a goal scorer through and through. One problem though... Luis Suarez is not eligible to play in this match, after receiving a red card for "smartly" blocking a Ghanaian match-winning goal with his hand in the final minute of extra time. Forlan is brilliant but a Suarez-less offense should essentially cripple the Uruguayan scoring attack. Uruguay will also be without defender Jorge Fucile due to a one game suspension and it's also a possibility that defensive anchor and captain Diego Lugano will miss the match with a knee injury. Holland will have some personnel issues of their own, with suspensions to both Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel De Jong. The Netherlands enters this match on an incredible 24-game unbeaten streak and they are the only team in this World Cup to have won every match that they have played. Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder are two of the best footballers on the planet and you can rest assure they will have a huge impact on this match. With the key losses in the Uruguayan squad it's very likely that the Netherlands will constantly be on the attack. Uruguay has not faced an offense as explosive as the Netherlands and it's hard to imagine that they will be able to hold them off for 90 minutes. Without Suarez it's difficult to envision Uruguay scoring a goal on this stingy Dutch defense. The Uruguayans will also have to avoid a "letdown" after the emotional rollercoaster of their quarterfinal match. The Netherlands is peaking at the right time and enters this match with all kinds of momentum. They are the better team, with a more impressive resume, and they are capable of putting this match out of reach very early. It should be noted that if the unthinkable was to happen and Uruguay was to advance in this match we would have our Uruguay: TO WIN WORLD CUP wager alive at over 17-1. Play: Netherlands –1.35 (Risking 2.7 units to win 2).
