Cristian Chivu is desperate to reach the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals but the Romania captain refuses to accept that his former AFC Ajax team-mates in the Netherlands camp will do him a favour by smoothing the Tricolorii’s progress.

Win needed
With the Oranje already through as Group C winners, coach Marco van Basten has admitted he may rest players against Romania at the Stade de Suisse on Tuesday. A victory would ensure Romania’s passage to a tie with Spain regardless of the result between France and Italy in Zurich, yet Chivu expects tough opposition in Berne whatever his Dutch connections.

No let-up
“It’s pretty difficult to say something like that because I know the Dutch game very well and I know what football means to them,” Chivu told euro2008.com. “They have waited a long time to play and win with this kind of attacking football. I don’t think they will relax at all. Even though they have qualified, they still want to win to show continuity in their results and they also want to be confirmed as favourites to win the trophy.” Chivu’s insight comes from his stay with Ajax between 1999 and 2003, when he captained a side featuring exciting prospects such as Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.

Opportunity
Irrespective of the outcome against the Oranje, the centre-back insists the tournament has been a major success for Romania. Many pundits gave the Tricolorii no chance of a top-two finish in the group but draws against France and Italy have opened the door to the last eight and the 27-year-old is determined to emulate the Romania team that made the UEFA EURO 2000™ quarter-finals.

History beckons
“What we have already achieved is tremendous,” said the FC Internazionale Milano player. “If you had told me before the tournament that we would hold both France and Italy, I would have signed a sheet of paper and I would have been very happy. But now we have the chance to go through and I can see this team’s potential. I want this very much and so do my team-mates. This is the most important match for our generation and qualifying from this group would be a historic moment for Romanian football.”

For Arjen Robben, the UEFA EURO 2008™ experience has totally changed in the space of a few days. The Real Madrid CF attacker suffered an injury before the Netherlands’ opening game against Italy but returned against France to really make a difference.

Fitness battle
“I was ready and really looking forward to the tournament when my world fell apart a bit,” Robben told euro2008.com. “Only two days before the tournament I broke down with a groin injury. But I had to focus very fast, and tell myself, ‘Go for it’ and we worked very hard to restore my fitness.”
Robben did just that and made the perfect UEFA EURO 2008™ entrance as a substitute against France.

‘Reward for hard work’
He first laid on an assist for Robin van Persie to put the Dutch 2-0 ahead and then scored their vital third goal, shortly after the French had reduced the deficit. “It was a perfect moment to score. They had made it 2-1, and you saw they gained strength from that, you saw them thinking ‘There is more in this’ now. But we ended all that by scoring the third,” Robben recalled with a twinkle in his eyes. “When you get rewarded for hard work, by coming in like this and proving important to the team, then that is just fantastic.”

Family joy
The Dutch players celebrated qualification for the quarter-finals with family and fans in the stadium afterwards. “It’s great to share that joy with the family, certainly with the kids. It should be like that. That also has to do with the Berne stadium. It’s a beautiful stadium, the stands are close to the pitch and the families are nearby, without any fences separating us.”

Madrid connection
Alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder, it meant there were a total of three Real Madrid CF players involved in the defeat of France. “The three of us have an excellent relationship, on and off the pitch,” Robben said. “There’s a good connection with Wesley, he knows exactly where I want the ball. It can only be an advantage that we play together with Real. The euphoria from the fans and press is logical considering we have beaten big nations in the way we did.

Feet on the ground
“But we have to keep our feet on the ground and just keep on performing at the level we did before, looking for improvements,” he continued. “We are in the quarter-finals now, and can go into the Romania match without pressure. We always want to win and perform and after that it doesn’t matter who we meet in the quarter-finals. We must only look at ourselves. If we keep up this quality level, we don’t need to fear any opponent.”

The Netherlands’ 4-1 win against France prompted high praise from the European media – and also persuaded one supporter to propose marriage to his girlfriend.

‘TGV train’
The Group C draw had seemed cruel for Marco van Basten’s side, lining them up against world champions Italy, France and Romania, but last night’s victory in Berne – combined with the earlier 3-0 success against the Azzurri – sent the Dutch into the last eight in quick time. It also earned plaudits from the international press. Fast and creative, the Oranje’s 4-2-3-1 formation has bewitched audiences worldwide. “So the title is going to Holland,” wrote German newspaper Bild. L’Equipe in France called the Dutch “extremely powerful and full of self-confidence”, while England’s Guardian has renamed UEFA EURO 2008™ “Holland’s tournament”. Back home, De Telegraaf said the Oranje looked like a “high-speed TGV train speeding past the French” while De Volkskrant wrote: “It is a fairy tale. One thinks this can’t be real, but it really is true.”

Wedding bells
The real fairy-tale stuff, however, was happening in the stands at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf. Observant fans would have spotted the orange flag draped over the side of the stadium reading: “Cyn, als we winnen trouw ik met je” (Cyn, if we win, I will marry you). It belonged to Danny van der Logt, who had planned to display it at the Italy game but could not do so due to the number of Italy supporters in his section of the stadium. His girlfriend of 20 years, Cynthia, accepted the unusual proposal, although Van der Logt was almost tempted to move the goalposts. “I could tell her that I meant winning the whole tournament, but I won’t,” he joked. “Seriously, after 20 years together, the time is right, so we will certainly get married.”

Dirk Kuyt is revelling in the Netherlands’ devastating displays at UEFA EURO 2008™ which have resulted in Marco van Basten’s side marching into the quarter-finals after two games.

Great feeling
After helping create two goals in the 3-0 defeat of Italy, the blond Liverpool FC striker sparked his side’s 4-1 rout of France with the opening strike as the Oranje clinched their place in the last eight on Friday night. “It’s a great feeling to be a part of important moments in a match,” said Kuyt, who headed the Dutch in front after nine minutes in Berne. “But the most beautiful thing is just to win two important matches such as these. It gives you a great feeling.”

Starting slot
Prior to the tournament, Kuyt had expressed concerns he would not be in the squad, and then – having been selected – was not expected to feature in the starting XI. However, he began the opening game against the world champions and retained his place to face the French. “I have worked very hard to be at my best for this tournament and I am very happy to have been in the lineup twice,” the 27-year-old told euro2008.com. “And when I can play an important role by giving assists and scoring goals, then I’m doubly satisfied.”

‘Something beautiful’
The Dutch are already certain of topping Group C regardless of the result of their final game against Romania, and Kuyt said the squad believe this tournament could witness the next glorious chapter in Dutch football history. “We feel it’s possible for us to achieve something beautiful here,” he said. “We have delivered two excellent performances, but we must now prepare for the next step. We all want to achieve something beautiful here, and I think can, but we should not look too far ahead yet.”

Fantastic support
While the Netherlands have impressed on the pitch, their massive orange-clad support has been equally breathtaking off it, filling the Stade de Suisse with vibrant noise and colour. Kuyt said he was delighted the players could repay the fans’ support with victory, but added that celebrations among the squad would be muted. “We are so focused on the matches that it is hard to imagine how it is for the people that are here to support us in Berne,” said the former Feyenoord forward. “We really appreciate receiving so much support. We cannot experience all the celebrations, but that’s OK. A lot of people would also love to be standing in our shoes right now.”

Renowned for their ‘Total Football’ in the 1970s, the Netherlands’ impressive start to UEFA Euro 2008™ has got the Oranje faithful flooding into Switzerland full of belief and they are totally engrossed in the exploits of Marco Van Basten’s men.

Great success
‘Total Football’, the playing system pioneered by the Dutch, brought great success for Johan Cruyff’s Ajax FC in the 1970s and saw the Dutch national team reaching successive finals of the FIFA World Cup in 1974 and 1978. Following the Netherlands’ 3-0 win over Italy in their first match at UEFA EURO 2008™, as many as 50,000 Dutch fans are expected to take in the encounter with France tonight, and a third big screen has been installed in the city of Berne to cater for the influx of Oranje supporters.

Huge expectations
But are the Dutch fans getting too carried away with that victory against Italy and are they expecting too much? Is this really the Netherlands’ time to shine again or are we reading too much into one game? Tell us what you think.

The Netherlands and France may have played just one game so far in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C, yet the moods in the respective camps could hardly have been more contrasting ahead of Friday’s meeting at the Stade de Suisse in Berne. While Netherlands coach Marco van Basten was doing his utmost to calm expectations following the superb 3-0 victory over Italy on Monday, his opposite number Raymond Domenech attempted to reassure French fans that the Les Bleus were ready to improve on their subdued goalless draw against Romania.

‘Start again’
Van Basten, a UEFA European Championship winner in 1988, is bidding to become the first man to clinch the title as player and coach and could not have enjoyed a better start against the world champions. Another victory would propel the Oranje into the last eight, but the former AFC Ajax and AC Milan striker is refusing to get carried away. “We played well against Italy but you don’t win the tournament after one match,” Van Basten said. “Instead of thinking already about the quarter-finals, we must get our feet back on the ground and start all over again against France, who are a very strong, experienced team.”

Robben return
The Netherlands are likely to adopt a similar formation to that which they deployed against the Azzurri when they meet the two-time winners, with Orlando Engelaar and Nigel de Jong protecting the defence and three support players operating behind striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Monday’s triumph was founded on rapid counterattacks and Van Basten hopes for more of the same, saying: “If one team has to attack it’s France. We’ve already won a game so the pressure is on them.” Van Basten nevertheless possesses an enviable array of attacking talent – particularly after Arjen Robben returned to training on Thursday following his groin injury. “Robben is ready to face France,” confirmed Van Basten, who must now decide whether to stray from a winning formula.

‘Sparkling performance’
Domenech seems certain to make at least one change from the side held by Romania, with the fit-again Thierry Henry returning to lead the attack. The France coach had stumbled on the steps on his way to addressing the media, but quickly dismissed suggestions he was feeling anxious and insisted his players would not trip up on Friday. “We know what we have to do and we’ll try our best to get the three points,” the 56-year-old said. “Personally, I’m hoping for a sparkling French performance, but unfortunately I can’t predict anything. We build our side around a solid defence and the Dutch have outstanding attackers, so it should be a good, exciting match.”

Comparison
Similarities are already being drawn with France’s 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign – when they opened with a stalemate against Switzerland before reaching the final – and Domenech is convinced his team will again improve as the stakes get higher. “Feeling that danger and fear is important for top-level sportsmen,” argued Domenech, who would not reveal whether captain Patrick Vieira has recovered from his thigh injury. “It was always going to be a struggle and hopefully the situation will bring the best out of the players.”

UEFA has emphasised that the goal scored by Netherlands striker Ruud van Nistelrooy in last night’s UEFA EURO 2008™ match against Italy in Berne was valid, and that referee Peter Fröjdfeldt acted correctly in awarding it.

Not offside
UEFA General Secretary David Taylor was reacting to claims from some quarters that Van Nistelrooy was standing in an offside position when he scored the first of the Netherlands’ goals in their 3-0 win. “I would like to take the opportunity to explain and emphasise that the goal was correctly awarded by the referee team,” he said. “I think there’s a lack of understanding among the general football public, and I think it’s understandable because this was an unusual situation. The player was not offside, because, in addition to the Italian goalkeeper, there was another Italian player in front of the goalscorer. Even though that other Italian player at the time had actually fallen off the pitch, his position was still relevant for the purposes of the offside law.”

Still involved
The starting point, said Mr Taylor, is the Laws of the Game – Law 11 – which deal with offside, whereby a player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents’ goalline than both the ball and the second-last opponent. “There need to be two defenders involved,” the UEFA General Secretary said. “If you think back to the situation, the first is the goalkeeper, and the second is the defender who, because of his momentum, actually had left the field of play. But this defender was still deemed to be part of the game. Therefore he is taken into consideration as one of the last two opponents. As a result, Ruud van Nistelrooy was not nearer to the opponents’ goal than the second-last defender and, therefore, could not be in an offside position.

Rare incident
“This is a widely-known interpretation of the offside law among referees that is not generally known by the wider football public,” he continued. “Incidents like this are very unusual – although I’m informed that there was an incident like this about a month ago in a Swiss Super League match between FC Sion and FC Basel 1893. [It was] initially suggested that this [goal] was a mistake by the referee in terms of the offside law – the commentator later apologised publicly, as he didn’t realise that this was the correct application of the law.”

Law applied
Mr Taylor concluded: “So let’s be clear – the referees’ team applied the law in the correct manner. If we did not have this interpretation of the player being off the pitch then what could happen is that the defending team could use the tactic of stepping off the pitch deliberately to play players offside, and that clearly is unacceptable. The most simple and practical interpretation of the law in this instance is the one that is adopted by referees throughout the world – that is that unless you have permission from the referee to be off the pitch, you are deemed to be on it and deemed to be part of the game. That is why the Italian defender, even though his momentum had taken him off the pitch, was still deemed to be part of the game, and therefore the attacking player put the ball into the net, and it was a valid goal. The law in this place was applied absolutely correctly.”

Italy’s Luca Toni is confident the Azzurri will bounce back from their opening humbling by the Netherlands when they face Romania in their second Group C fixture on Friday. “We usually play our best in do-or-die games – now we’ll have to do it again,” said the FC Bayern München striker.

‘Very disappointed’
It was 30 years since Italy had lost to the Dutch, and never by a 3-0 scoreline. Toni headed a 12th-minute chance wide, after which the Oranje took control and triumphed thanks to goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. “We were very disappointed after the game but we looked into each others’ eyes and all of us know perfectly what there is at stake in our next game against Romania,” said the 31-year-old.

‘Think positive’
“We started badly and defended too deeply in the first half. Then they scored from their first chance and everything became more difficult for us because they have great pace on the counterattack. It wasn’t our night. However, we have to forget this game quickly and start to think about the next two. With two good results we will go through – we have to think positive.”

Greater threat
Italy looked more threatening following the second-half introductions of Alessandro Del Piero, Fabio Grosso and Antonio Cassano, with Toni culpable of missing one clear opportunity and Netherlands No1 Edwin van der Sar equal to the others. Toni added: “We created a few chances but couldn’t take them to bring the match back to life. Cassano played a great ball for me but when I tried a lob it was a disaster. Now we have a few days to understand what went wrong and to try to play a great game against Romania.”

Buffon sorry
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, handed the captaincy following the injury to Fabio Cannavaro, added: “We have to apologise to every Italian fan. We played very badly and deserved to lose. We can only congratulate the Netherlands on their performance. I hope we recover our usual pride for the next game.”