Rio de Janeiro: A player who never got a second of playing time in the Netherlands’ three previous matches got 14 minutes against Mexico in the round of 16 on Sunday. Things weren’t looking great for the Dutch when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar came on.
In the oppressive heat of Fortaleza, Mexico appeared to be on course to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 by holding a 1-0 lead. But football is all about seizing opportunities and Huntelaar did go on to make the most of his limited time on the field to crush Mexico’s hopes.
Wesley Sneijder slammed home the equaliser in the 88th minute after Huntelaar had flicked on a corner and the match got even better for the late substitute as he calmly stroked a penalty in added time to complete the Dutch comeback. Talk about grabbing chances, Huntelaar, who had missed his last two spot kicks for Schalke in the Bundesliga, was coach Louis van Gaal’s last act of desperation in a match the Dutch looked destined to lose.
Arjen Robben who won the penalty initially appeared inclined to take it himself before better sense prevailed upon him. Handing the chance to Huntelaar was crucial. Robben had cost Bayern Munich the Champion League trophy in 2012 with his botched up penalty in the final against Chelsea in extra-time and he lacks the nerve to be a sure-shot scorer from the spot. He often looks more interested in taking the penalty than scoring.
The Mexico match was an unlikely redemption for Huntelaar who had been the most peripheral figure in the 23-member Dutch squad here. He didn’t have the trust of Holland’s shrewd coach Van Gaal despite his proven productivity in front of goal. Huntelaar doesn’t have the touches of Robin van Persie.
Neither does he possess the pace and dribbling skills of Robben. He has a nose for goal which wasn’t appreciated much by his hard-nosed manager until the Dutch had a close look at death. Huntelaar was more than ready when he heard the knock of opportunity.
