A comprehensive 2-1 win over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon gave Holland a perfect finish to their group stage competition. Goals from Robin van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar bookended a second half Samuel Eto'o penalty kick, the only blemish on the Dutch resume as they head to the Round of 16.
van Persie opened his account in the 35th minute. Following a quick restart, Dirk Kuyt found the striker after a marauding 40 yard run. van Persie played a quick 1-2 with Rafael van der Vaart, who put the striker in on goal. The Arsenal man made no mistake, slotting coolly through Cameroon keeper Souleymanou Hamidou's legs.
It wasn't the only instance of slick Dutch passing in the first half, but Hamidou was up to the task time and again, and his team had him to thank when they went into the break down just 1-0.
Cameroon came out determined to make a game of it in the second half, and it's no surprise that star striker Samuel Eto'o was the man leading the charge. He freed himself up with a fantastic move in the 59th minute, but Dutch defenders Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Joris Mathijsen were able to shut him down before Eto'o could seriously threaten Maarten Stekelenburg's net.
They wouldn't be so lucky in the 63rd minute. Jean Makoun did some nice work to earn a dangerous set piece from 23 yards. Geremi Njitap's ensuing free kick was handled in the area by van der Vaart, and Eto'o converted the ensuing penalty. It was to be the only goal Holland would concede in the group stage.
Not content with the draw, the Netherlands controlled the last quarter of the game and pushed forward, trying to find a winner. They got it in the 84th after an otherworldly throughball from Wesley Sneijder freed up Arjen Robben - seeing his first action since a hamstring injury three weeks ago - down the right hand side. Robben was able to cut inside past defender Rigobert Song and unleash a left-footed blast that stung Hamidou's post and rebounded to an unmarked Huntelaar. The AC Milan sniper made no mistake and slotted the ball calmly past the helpless Cameroonian keeper.
With the win, Holland become the only European country to take all nine points available from the group stage and will head to the Round of 16 riding a wave of confidence thanks to both their form and the return of Robben. Cameroon, meanwhile, continues Africa's misery in the continent's first World Cup as CAF nations are now just 2-5-10 overall.
Scoring Summary
Holland:
van Persie (36’)
Huntelaar (83’)
Cameroon:
Eto’o (65’)
Cameroon: Souleymanou Hamidou; Gaetan Bong (Vincent Aboubakar 56'), Stephanie Mbia, Nicolas N'Koulou (Rigobert Song 74'), Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Aurelien Chedjou, Jean Makoun, Geremi Njitap, Maxim Choupo-Moting (Mohamadou Idrissou 72'); Samuel Eto'o, Landry N'Guemo
Holland: Maarten Stekelenburg; Khalid Boulahrouz, John Heitinga, Joris Mathijsen, Giovanni van Bronckhorst; Mark van Bommel, Nigel de Jong, Dirk Kuyt (Eljero Elia 67'), Rafael van der Vaart (Arjen Robben 73'), Wesley Sneijder; Robin van Persie (Klaas Jan Huntelaar 59')
