After a dismal Euro qualifying campaign, the Netherlands quest has finally died a death. Throughout this match they looked clueless and devoid of confidence, epitomising their campaign to date.
Right from the off, the Dutch showed their intent. A shot from Anwar El Ghazi was straight at Cech and the keeper saved comfortably. El Ghazi turned provider when his low cross found Wesley Sneijder on the edge of the box but he lacked the composure and sent the ball into Row Z. That's two chances the Dutch have had within the first 10 minutes and were made to rue them once 90 minutes were up.
However it was the Czech Republic that struck first. A flick from Tomas Necid split the defence and allowed Pavel Kaderabek to run in on Jasper Cillessen's net. A shot across the goal left the keeper helpless and gave the Dutch a mountain to climb. There was a notable change in the mood once the goal went in as the Dutch crowd created a raucous atmosphere up until that point.
At the half hour mark, The Netherlands were having the majority of possession but they evidently did not know what to do with the possession. No penetration and apart from those chances in the first minutes they didn't look like they were able to score against the Czechs.
The second goal came much to the dismay of the Dutch faithful. A Theodor Gebre Selassie throw in found the right winger before he chipped into Josef Sural who poked the ball past Cillessen in nets. It was poor defending from Van Dijk to allow the Czech wriggle away and double their lead. Danny Blind had seen enough and introduced Robin Van Persie, substituting Ridejwald.
This substitution seemed to give the Dutch a lift, creating several opportunities shortly after. Wesley Sneijder released Memphis Depay in behind the defence. He was through on goal but a desperate lunge from Marek Suchy brought the United man down and was dismissed for a professional foul. At half time, the Netherlands looked down and out, however the momentum from the red card had completely swung in favour of the home side.
The second half started and The Netherlands were keen to press. They had several attempts but were unable to latch onto and control the final ball. Time was not on the side of the Dutch and they were beginning to feel the pressure. Despite having the possession, the Czechs were relatively untroubled and Cech had minimal saves to make.
As the game progressed, the Netherlands resorted to long balls. 20 minutes into the second half and the Dutch were yet to make any advantage of the man extra. It was the away side that were going to hit the final nail into the coffin of the Netherlands. A free kick was swung in, and in an attempt to clear it, Robin Van Persie headed into his own net.
Just short of the 70 minute mark, Klaas Jan Huntelaar headed a consolation for the home side and it would take a miracle to reach the next round. Huntelaar had another attempt but he shot straight at the Czech keeper. Like the red card, the goal seemed to give the Netherlands a lift, but it seriously looked as if they didn't know how to use it. It's not too often we see a Dutch side lump so many long, meaningless balls into the box.
The Netherlands got a second goal back after Van Persie redeemed himself after nudging the ball past Cech after a flick on from Wolfsburg man Bas Dost. Minutes later, Van Persie went down inside the box, but the referee deemed it to be a dive and booked the Dutchman.
The Dutch are out and truthfully, they didn't deserve anything from the game, never mind the qualifying campaign. It's back to the drawing board for Danny Blind and his Dutch side as they prepare to embark on a World Cup qualifying campaign that they cannot afford to mess up.