Holland vs Uruguay

1) A strange match, which was fairly rubbish for long stretches yet ended up being pretty exciting.

2) Great goals from van Bronckhorst, Robben and Pereira for Uruguay. Van Bronckhorst in particular hit an absolute screamer, in his penultimate performance. Truth be told, I've alwasy thought Van Bronckhorst was pretty shit, and if he had been Scottish instead of Dutch, would never have made it out of Glasgow. Still, fair play to him, he's getting to go out near the top. The late Uruguayan goal was a lovely finish from the bloke's left foot.

3) Van Bommel got booked at last. I suppose he'll probably be sent off in the final as payment for all his past indiscretions.

4) The Dutch are really not that exciting to watch; I certainly can't remember them having a duller team (2004 and 2006 weren't great, but they played more than this one). They have balance, and they defend solidly, and look dangerous on the counter, for sure, but given the amount of attacking talent, it seems a shame that they don't make more of an impression on games. They actually looked fairly clueless at 1-1, and Sneijder's goal was fairly lucky. Sneijder, to my mind, has actually contributed very little to games apart from goals and assists (I realise that this is a comment which makes me sound like a cretin of the highest order), and of his five credited goals, three have been deflected, with a short range header and a tap-in; I would probably say he is playing at an inferior level to his performances at Euro 2008, where he was sensational. Still, Holland are in the final, so fair play.

5) The Uruguayans simply looked like a team that gave all it had, but it wasn't enough. I wonder if an available Suarez might have made a difference, allowing Forlan to drop deeper as he has to good effect in other games. Still, Forlan has shown a versatility and level of performance that has perhaps surprised the few remaining individuals (principally broadcasters and journalists) who recall him for his time at Manchester United. He has been one of the better forwards on show.