The Dutch advance to third ever final, await Spain/Germany winner
(Editor's note: Netherlands' first goal was scored by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, not Robin Van Persie.)
For the third time in World Cup history, the Dutch are through to the final.
Though Netherlands jumped to an early lead against Uruguay after a spectacular goal by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, Uruguay equalized with yet another beautiful strike from the boot of Diego Forlan.
Though both first half goals were pretty, the most literally jaw dropping play barely involved the ball at all, as Demy de Zeeuw took a bicycle kick to the face, which left him temporarily unconcious.
The Netherlands stand to face the winner of the Germany versus Spain match in Sunday's final.
More World Cup links:
- ESPN.com columnist Chris Jones tells readers what to look for during the remainder of the tournament, some more bizarre than others.
- Yahoo.com's Dan Wetzel admires the Dutch fans for their passion and loyalty.
- With four goals so far this tournament, Germany's Miroslav Klose needs just two more to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.
- Spain's Fernando Torres insists he'll pull for his team, even if he gets benched against Germany.
- While South America dominated early, Europe has proved the world's strongest continent in the later rounds.
- Injured German captain Michael Ballack cheered his team on in the quarterfinals, but may not be welcome the rest of the way.
- Paraguayan superfan/lingerie model Larissa Riquelme said she would run through the streets naked if her team won the World Cup. Well, Paraguay lost, but the trot is still on!
- In terms of race relations, ESPN.com's Leander Schaerlaeckens thinks sports has brought South Africa full circle as a nation.
Pictures of the Day:
Netherlands' Demy de Zeeuw gets a kick in the face by Uruguay's Martin Caceres during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between Uruguay and the Netherlands. (AP Photo)
Demy de Zeeuw was temporarily knocked out by the blow. He remained in the game for the remainder of the half, but was replaced at halftime. He is questionable for the finals due to a suspected broken jaw. (AP Photo)
Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by e-mail at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.