Sneijder's birthday gift to Netherlands
Monday, June 9, 2008
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The Netherlands' Wesley Sneijder iced the cake on his 24th birthday by taking home the Carlsberg Man of the Match award for his goal and assist in the Italy defeat.
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Seldom have Italy suffered a defeat like their 3-0 reverse against the Netherlands in Monday's UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C opener in Berne – and the man who perhaps did more than anyone to inspire it, Wesley Sniejder, believes the result could herald fresh Oranje glory.
Extra present
Having already provided the first goal for Real Madrid CF colleague Ruud van Nistelrooy, Sneijder put the Netherlands two up on 31 minutes with an extraordinary hooked shot and he worked tirelessly down the left wing to secure the world champions' scalp. His performance earned him the Carlsberg Man of the Match award on his 24th birthday – "a nice present" according to coach Marco van Basten – but Sneijder was modest about his achievements. He was already looking forward to Friday, when another win at the Stade de Suisse against France would book a quarter-final place.
'Perfect job'
"My first feeling is, we did it as a team," Sneijder said. "We played very well and deserved to win. The first game in the pool is always the important one. We won it 3-0, it has created some confidence, but we don't have time to celebrate. On Friday there is a second important game against France. The thing we have to do is win that game." On ending the Netherlands' 30-year winless run versus Italy, the birthday boy – not even a twinkle when such a feat last occurred – added: "It was a perfect job, it was a long time since the Netherlands won a game against Italy so this is great."
Osieck praise
The Carlsberg Man of the Match award is decided by the UEFA Technical Team, and one of their number, experienced German coach Holger Osieck, explained why Sneijder was so honoured. "There were a lot of good individual performances but I think Sneijder deserved it because he had the most impact on the scoreline," Osieck told euro2008.com. "He had an assist, he scored himself, and in the game he had some brilliant moments – he sent in some beautiful passes, he did a lot of running. He was not just playing, he was a great fighter as well, so all in all he deserved it."
