The Dutch had already secured their place in the round of 16, having won their previous two games against Denmark and Japan. They were determined to beat Cameroon and build momentum going into the round of 16 and that is precisely what they did with a 2-1 victory.

The Green Point Stadium in Cape Town had over 60,000 supporters and many of them were in orange, leaving no one in doubt as to which team they were supporting. The Dutch did not let down their fans as Kuyt and Van Der Vaart combined to create an opening for Persie who scored in the 36th minute of the game.

Easily the most exciting game of the tournament, fans from around the world were treated to a nail biting finish, which ended 3-2 in favor of Slovakia. With this defeat, the current world champions have been eliminated from the world cup.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi said “I take full responsibility. If the squad went out with fear in their legs and hearts it means the coach didn’t prepare the match well tactically or psychologically.”

The first half was an evenly contested game with both teams playing a hard game. Slovakia managed to score through Robert Vittek in the 24th minute and ended the first half with a 1-0 lead.