2010 FIFA World Cup: Netherlands Player Ratings Vs Ghana

The Netherlands showed that they will certainly be a threat in South Africa, as they are certainly one of the favorites. They will need to sort out some issues at the back, but going forward the Dutch will be one of the sides to watch. It was a convincing 4-1 victory of Ghana. 

Player Ratings (out of 10):

Michel Vorm: 6 — Made an easy save from Muntari on 10 minutes, and was alert to come off of his line the few times he was called upon in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Van Der Wiel: 7.5 — Got forward and gave the team much needed width down the right flank. Involved in some nice attacking moves with Van Persie, Kujt, and Sneijder. Brilliant pass to Van Der Vaart to win the penalty. Not tested defensively.

Heitinga: 5 — Lucky not to give away a penalty on 18 minutes and did not look his best. Was better in the second half, but lost the header that led to Ghana's goal. 

Mathijsen: 5 — Poor communication with Gio and his keeper on Ghana's goal. Looked shaky throughout. 

Von Bronckhorst: 5 — Troubled a bit by Quincy early, but improved as the game wore on and got into good attacking positions as Holland took more of the initiative, but failed to deal to with Kingson's long ball and ultimately led to Ghana's goal. 

Van Bommel: 7 — Recovered the ball well and was always an outlet for his defenders. Kept possession and showed off a good passing range. A brilliant chipped assist to Van Der Vaart on his goal

De Jong: 6 — Worked hard and won the ball back. Showed a simple yet competent passing range. 

Dirk Kuyt: 7 — Oppurtunistic goal when he pounced on a rebound to open the scorer. Worked for the team and showed a decent understanding with Van Der Wiel. 

Sneijder: 8.5 — Dropped deep to receive the ball and drive his team forward. The more he has the ball, the better off the Dutch will be. Brilliant through balls through out, including his pass to Van Persie that led to Kuyt's goal. Also involved in the buildup to Van der Vaart's strike.  Scored his team's third with a well struck volley. A brilliant performane. 

Affellay: 7 — A constant threat on the ball and linked up well with his teammates throughout. Given freedom to drift across the midfield. 

Van Persie: 7 — A constant threat. Came back to link up with is teammates. His shot led to his side's opener, and set up Afellay with a neat back heel on 52 minutes. Good off the ball movement, and a well taken penalty to kill off the match.

Subs

Boschker: 5 — Not given a lot to do other than picking the ball out of his net.

Van de Vaart: 8 — Played a neat one-two with Van Bommel for his side's second. Nearly caught Kingson off his line with an audacious chip which led to Holland's third, before winning the penalty for Van Persie. His quality is so evident, it will be difficult to leave him on the bench. 

Babel: 5 — Brought plenty of pace to the match, but lacked in the final 

Elia: 5 — Not enough time to make an impact.