Advocaat underlines Dutch desire

By Peter Sanderson in Amsterdam

Dutch coach Dick Advocaat heaped praise on his Netherlands side after their six-goal demolition of Scotland ensured they will join the illustrious band of teams at UEFA EURO 2004™. And Advocaat, whose side found the perfect riposte to their miserable 1-0 defeat at Hampden Park to inflict Scotland's heaviest defeat since their 9-3 humbling by England in 1961, said: "Today we showed we can play as a team."

Complete command
The home side never looked back after Wesley Sneijder's thunderous opener as André Ooijer and Ruud van Nistelrooij gave the Dutch a 3-1 aggregate lead at half-time. An early second-half strike from Van Nistelrooij ensured the Netherlands were in complete command after the break and the Manchester United FC forward completed his hat-trick minutes after substitute Frank de Boer's 64th-minute header.

Advocaat staying
Defiant Advocaat was quick to dismiss speculation that he would step down from his position before EURO 2004™, despite successfully leading his players to next summer's tournament. "I will stay until the end," he said. "We showed we can play as a team and have lost only two games in our last 17 - read into that what you will.

'Very happy'
"I think of all the players Wesley [Sneijder] stood out for me. He passed the ball superbly, took his goal really well and bossed the game in midfield. Ruud [van Nistelrooij] also played out of his skin. Not only did he score three goals, he also worked like a horse. I was very happy for him because he had a frustrating day on Saturday and received some undeserved critisism."

No shame
The defeat may have left the Scottish broken-hearted but coach Berti Vogts insisted it did not leave his players red-faced. "We were beaten by a side who just had too much quality," he said. "On Saturday we had a great day - but tonight it was their turn. We can learn a lot from this game as we begin the [FIFA] World Cup qualifying programme early this year."

Bright future
This defeat aside, Vogts has every reason to be positive. In James McFadden, Darren Fletcher and Shaun Maloney, Vogts knows the future of Scottish football is in safe hands. They may not have been good enough to beat a gifted Netherlands outfit over 180 mins but - once the bitter taste of this set-back is extinguished - the talented trio will develop into stronger players.

Youthful exuberance
"We have much to look forward to," Vogts stressed. "The senior side have beaten one of the favourites to win EURO 2004™ this week and our Under-21 side won their group in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship." Indeed, Scotland's disciplined performances during qualifying, propelled by youthful exhuberance and the new-found self-belief, will make the road to FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany seem much shorter. "We must look forward not back," added Vogts. "We may not have the quality or depth of a side like the Netherlands - but we can qualify for the World Cup."