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Van Nistelrooy: Offside?

All the big guns have played in Euro 2008 and it’s the Dutch who look the most impressive after a 3-0 defeat of World Cup winners Italy.

Ruud van Nistelrooy opened the scoring in what was one of the most controversial goals in Euro history.

The Real Madrid striker was clearly yards offside when he slotted home Wesley Sneijer’s wayward strike. The goal stood prompting furious protest from the Italians, viewers watching at home were also baffled as subsequent replays showed Van Nistelrooy to be off, even Dirk Kuyt said in his post match interview that he thought the goal wouldn’t stand.

But it appears professional referees do swot up on the rule book. Just before the goal Christian Pannuci had collided with keeper Gianluigi Buffon and stumbled off the field injured.

It was Pannuci who played Van Nistelrooy onside. He was according to FIFA ‘active.’ Because he went off after colliding with his own player and was technically still in front of the opposing player despite being off the pitch.

So there, it’s a wonder why no-one on ITV had been dusting off the FA rulebook and provided the millions of intrigued viewers with an answer. Perhaps they were too busy Scotchguarding the leatherette sofas in the studio.

Despite all the controversy, Holland finished off the Italians with two fantastic counter-attacks.

The first was a joy to behold as the Dutch cleared off their own line and in a mere 17 seconds were celebrating number two after Sneijer completed a stunning move created by Giovanni Van Bronckhorst.

After clearing off the line Van Bronckhorst sprinted the length of the pitch to deliver a cross for Dirk Kuyt to head into the path of Sneijer.

Van Bronckhorst headed home the third after more fluid Dutch attacking consigning the Italians to one of their biggest defeats.

The Italians can take heart that there is still a way out of the so-called group death, France and Romania bored a partisan TV audience to tears with a 0-0 draw in Zurich.

The French failed to break down a staunch Romanian defence as they completely lacked a cutting edge without a gifted playmaker in midfield who could ‘unlock’ the door and supply promising striker Kazim Benzema.

Maybe it was just a blip, but the French can’t play a rampant Dutch in such lacklustre fashion.

We could bring out the old clichés about Dutch masters and the future being bright and err orange, but the simple fact of the matter is the Dutch are looking bloody brilliant.

France, Italy and Romania have a big bun fight on their hands.

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