World Cup 2010: Van Marwijk 'so proud' of Dutch

Highlights - Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk could barely hide his delight after his side beat Uruguay 3-2 to reach their first World Cup final since 1978.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben each scored to earn a clash with Spain or Germany.

Van Marwijk said: "This is very special. After 32 years we play the final again. Such a small country can be so very proud."

The Dutch boss added he does not mind who his side face in Sunday's final.

"I think Spain are playing the best football overall but Germany are perhaps the best team at this championship," continued Van Marwijk, who took over as Netherlands coach in 2008 and has now led the side on a 14-match winning streak.

Robben header puts Dutch into final

"I won't say I prefer to play one team or another but it would be unique to play Germany after 1974 [when Germany beat the Netherlands in the final].

"I don't think in terms of revenge. The Netherlands played a wonderful match against Germany but we lost and we should have won it. It was a unique generation with Johan Cruyff, the best footballer who ever existed. So it is great that we have ended up in the final again.

"I am very happy and proud that such a small country is in the final of a World Cup. It is difficult to understand but you have to go out there and live it and do it."

606: DEBATE You have to hand it to Holland - a superb team performance and individual class that you need to get to the final of major tournaments U14281003

Van Bronckhorst opened the scoring in a close encounter with a 35-yard piledriver, before Uruguay's Diego Forlan also struck from range to level.

However, goals from Sneijder - allowed to stand despite Robin van Persie appearing to be in an offside position - and Robben restored the Netherlands' lead going into the final 15 minutes and Van Marwijk's men held on, despite Maxi Pereira's stoppage-time curler.

"Things went wrong now and again but we took the initiative and when we scored to make it 2-1 we had confidence and you saw how well we could play," added Van Marwijk.

"Suddenly we were faced with 3-2 and then it was so exciting. It was survival of the fittest in last two minutes. We were so relieved.

"If you truly believe in something you can make it come true.

"The team started believing it. You have got to have the mentality not to be too complacent. The players in the last two years started to understand this."

Van Bronckhorst's 35-yard screamer

Sneijder, whose goal was his fifth of the tournament and made him joint top scorer, reflected: "This is unforgettable. It was a tough fight and toward the end we complicated matters. On Sunday we play in the World Cup final. I have to get used to that.

"We are so close now. There is nothing bigger than the World Cup."

Dirk Kuyt said he hoped that this Dutch team could triumph where the teams of 1974 and 1978 fell down.

"After a long journey we are in the final. We are so close to writing history. This is the third time we have reached the final. Now we have to win it."

"What has happened is unbelievable. It is a bit unreal," Kuyt added.

"We felt before the tournament we had the quality in the team to win it but now it is an incredible feeling."

The Netherlands were boosted by news that the jaw injury suffered by Demy de Zeeuw was not as bad as first feared.

The midfielder was accidently kicked in the face during the first half and after being briefly knocked out, was substituted at the break. But an examination showed the jaw was not broken and he joined in with the Dutch celebrations after the match.

Sneijder puts Dutch into the lead

Wednesday's World Cup round-up

Maradona said on Sunday he would consider his future as Argentina boss

Argentina Football Association president Julio Grondona says Diego Maradona's future as the national team boss lies with the coach himself.

Maradona's team were eliminated from the World Cup when they were thumped 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals, and the manager has not spoken about his future in the position since he returned to Argentina.

But Grondona said: "Maradona is the only person in the country who can do whatever he wants. He still has a contract with us, so it's up to him."

Meanwhile, Argentine lawmaker Juan Cabandie - an ally of president Cristina Kirchner - has suggested erecting a statue of Maradona in the capital Buenos Aires.

He said: "The Argentine people have shown that, where Maradona is concerned, results are not important.

"Maradona has become an icon of Argentine popular culture, he is a social phenomenon and his popularity goes beyond the sporting arena."

Viewers of British broadcaster ITV's coverage of Tuesday's World Cup semi-final between Uruguay and the Netherlands might have been wondering why commentator Clive Tyldesley was doing so much talking.

The reason was that regular co-commentator Jim Beglin, due to join Tyldesley in Cape Town, was struck down by an ear infection and ITV were unable to recruit another summariser in time.

The Netherlands has woken up to an understandable case of Orange fever after the team reached their first World Cup final for 32 years.

The country's leading newspaper De Telegraaf simply led with "FINAL" on its front page, saying that the Oranje could now "smell gold". The NRC Next daily added: "Finally, icons for our couch potato generation." Reports suggested more than 80,000 people watched the match on big screens in Amsterdam's Museum Square.

The total attendance at the World Cup will pass the 3m mark at Wednesday's semi-final between Germany and Spain with an average of just over 49,000 fans attending each of the 61 games so far.

Although the total and average attendances are third in the list since the World Cup was expanded in 1982, many games in South Africa have featured empty seating with high ticket prices and poor ticket distribution claimed as reasons.

Meanwhile, German chancellor Angela Merkel has predicted a 2-1 victory for Germany.

Her hopes go against Paul the "psychic" octopus who has correctly predicted all of Germany's results in the World Cup so far. This time Paul is going for a Spanish win.

Veteran France defender William Gallas has blamed former national coach Raymond Domenech for Les Blues' disastrous World Cup 2010 campaign.

The 32-year-old told weekly publication Les Inrockuptibles: "If [the campaign] was a fiasco, then there are reasons for it. And for me there is no need to draw a veil over why: they emanated from the coach. Ok I wasn't good, we weren't good. But the coach wasn't up to scratch either."

Gallas added: "Domenech hammered into us time and again: 'Put your egos to one side'. But I believe that he forgot to do that himself."

Pop star Shakira will headline the World Cup closing ceremony on 11 July which is promised to be more "youthful and a bit more technologically advanced" than the opening ceremony in which the Colombian singer also featured.

She will once again perform the official tournament anthem "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)".

The Uruguay squad will be treated to a lavish presidential welcome when they return from the World Cup in South Africa.

Uruguay reached the semi-finals for the first time in 40 years, where their progress was halted by a 3-2 defeat to Holland , but after a parade through the streets of Montevideo on Monday, the squad will be greeted by President Jose Mujica as well as members of his government, according to tourism and sports minister Hector Lescano.

First, they will play Germany - who lost 1-0 to Spain in the other semi-final - in Saturday's third-place play-off in Port Elizabeth.

Updated throughout the day.

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