Group D provides the other marquee matchup of Euro 2004’s initial slate of games. Both Germany and the Netherlands have the ability to win this tournament, yet both sides have also been notably inconsistent in recent years. Lending credence to the belief that these heavyweights are both talented and awkward at the same time, this match provided one bizarre goal and another magnificent tally to beguile spectators.

On the 30th minute Torsten Frings’ free-kick from out wide on the left flank bounced through a crowd in front of the Dutch goal-mouth and clipped in off the post to gift Germany with a first half lead. It always feels a bit like you’ve just witnessed the magic bullet theory when you see a goal like that at this level.

It took 51 more minutes before the Netherlands finally equalized and this time the goal was sublime. Starved up front as the only Dutch striker for much of the match, Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistlerooy finally received great supporting play with nine minutes left in this grudge match. Acrobatically meeting Andy van der Meyder’s cross, van Nistlerooy contorted to whip the ball past Oliver Kahn, despite being practically molested by Germany’s Christian Worns in the process. It was a great goal, both for the drama of a late equalizer and for skill with which van Nistlerooy took it.

Both sides earned their share of the result, but Holland looked to probably be the more promising team as van Nistlerooy’s goal had enlivened the stadium’s hordes of orange faithful. Germany will likely be satisfied with the draw, but the Dutch, morale revived by van Nistlerooy’s enlivening equalizer, seem to have emerged from this draw as a true force to be reckoned with in the group of death.

Completely Unrelated…

Why did Anders Fisk give Kevin Kuryani a yellow card for his 11th minute hand ball in the Dutch penalty area? Couldn’t he see that the German striker was merely making an obvious homage to Diego Maradonna’s Hand of God masterpiece? Some officials really need to develop understanding of the lyrical qualities of some the game’s more notorious fouls :)