The 2-1 scoreline would indicate that the Holland vs. Slovakia Round of 16 match was a real contest.
However, aside from Slovakia having a golden opportunity to equalize the match in the second half, the Dutch kept their Round of 16 opponents at bay in what was, for the most part, a comfortable victory.
“We want to play beautifully, but it doesn’t always work,” midfielder Mark van Bommel told reporters. “But the bottom line is we qualified for the quarterfinals. We know what we’re doing.”
After Arjen Robben put Holland ahead in the 18th minute, the Oranje were happy to sit back and manage the game without pushing for more opportunities. It was a Dutch team that emphasized substance over style.
“I think in all the matches we’ve played you can see that we’ve been able to control possession and deny our opponents any space,” Dutch manager Bert Van Marwijk said. “We simply want to win, and I don’t think we’re doing a bad job.”
"It was a pretty difficult match for us,” said goalscorer Arjen Robben, who made his first start of the tournament. “However, nobody will remember how we won this game. The only thing that counts is that we've won the match and that we progress to the next round. We have yet to show our real class.
It was inevitable that Slovakia, who were largely ineffective in attack, would have at least one great opportunity. That came in the 67th minute through a shot by Miroslav Stoch, which was followed up by a one-on-one opportunity that fell to forward Robert Vittek.
Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg was up to the challenge in what was effectively the turning point of the match.
"That's no disgrace to us,” Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss said. “Nevertheless, we had chances to score the equalizer throughout the game, but we never took them."
Slovakia got their goal on a dubious penalty kick scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time when the score was out of reach at 2-0. Vittek converted to become Slovakia’s all-time leading scorer.
"With a bit of luck we could have been in it," Weiss said. "The penalty will make us feel a little better on the flight home, but the one who advances is the better team … Over the whole game, the Netherlands were stronger.
Aside from the Stekelenburg saves midway through the second half, the only real drama for the Dutch came when forward Robin van Persie was visibly miffed at his head coach after being substituted late in the match.
"Robin was a bit disappointed that I replaced him,” Van Marwijk told Dutch media outlet NOS. “That's why he reacted like that. I don't blame him for his reaction, though, and I'm absolutely not angry."
Monday made for four matches and four wins for the Dutch with minimal effort and far from playing their best soccer. With Robben back and making a difference, Holland will feel good about their room for improvement in the week leading up to their quarterfinal against Brazil or Chile.
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