The Netherlands have held up their end of the bargain thus far, but they're still going to need some help from Germany to progress to the next round of the competition. Bert van Marwijk's decision to drop defensive midfielder Mark van Bommel for attacking midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart has paid off in spectacular fashion with the Tottenham Hotspur man scoring a stellar goal after just 11 minutes of play.
Portugal Vs. Netherlands, Euro 2012: Rafael Van Der Vaart Scores Stunner
Arjen Robben provided the assist by cutting inside onto his left foot, then, in rather uncharacteristic fashion, passing the ball. Van der Vaart stepped up and placed a perfect left-footed shot past Rui Patricio at the far post, giving him no chance to make a save. The Netherlands are now ahead of Portugal in the group, but will not go through if Germany-Denmark stays 0-0.
We’ll have live coverage of both of Saturday’s games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group B Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.
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