[ALBSA-Info] Out Yugo As Patrick Bags Hat-Trick

[Iris Pilika]

Monday June 26, 12:21 PM
 
Out Yugo As Patrick Bags Hat-Trick 
ONE of the finest attacking displays seen in the European Championships
helped Holland to set up a semi-final clash with Italy as records tumbled
with the Dutch side defeating Yugoslavia 6-1, as Patrick Kluivert scored a
hat-trick and Marc Overmars twice in Feyenoord. 
The Barcelona hitman struck twice in the first half and once in the second
to destroy the depleted Yugoslavian team and deservedly send the orange
faithful into ecstasy, and almost wrote his own name in the record books
as the first man to score four times in a game in the European
Championships. 

After the match when he was awarded a fourth goal, when he was credited
with Holland's third goal despite admitting that he didn't touch the ball
after flinging himself at an Overmars cross only to miss it and see it
rebound off Dejan Govedarica and into the Yugoslavia goal. 

Uefa studied the goal on Monday morning and decided that the ball did, in
fact, come off Govedarica, so Kluivert had to settle for a hat-trick. 

Overmars added a brace in the latter stages to ensure that Holland were
the first to score six in a game in the European Championships, although a
late consolation for Savo Milosevic meant that they only equalled the
largest winning margin record of five goals. 

Arsenal man Dennis Bergkamp was at his mesmerising best, being at the
heart of all that was good about Holland's play, and it was he who set up
Kluivert for the opening goal, clipping a pass over the startled Yugoslav
defence and into the path of the Barcelona man, who stabbed past Kralj. 

The second goal saw Edgar Davids play Kluivert clear and he fired past
Kralj to send the Feyenoord crowd into raptures with a sublime
half-volley. 

The Arsenal contingent in the Dutch side linked up to create the first
chance of the game, when Overmars teased the Yugoslav defence down the
right, before teeing up Bergkamp - who fired in a rasping drive that was
blocked on its path to goal. 

It took just 12 minutes for Edwin van der Sar to justify Holland coach
Frank Rijkaard's decision to recall him, as he made a fine punched
clearance from a wicked Sinisa Mihajlovic free-kick. 

An expectant crowd were nearly silenced on the quarter-hour, when Savo
Milosevic showed superb skill to trick his way past Frank de Boer and
tee-up strike partner Pedrag Mijatovic, but he shot wastefully at van der
Sar with the goal at his mercy. 

Bergkamp continued to dictet the play and, on 20 minutes, he drifted past
Nisa Saveljic as if he was not there and curled a shot towards the top
corner which forced Ivica Kralj into a fine save. 

The incessant Dutch pressure eventually led to Kluivert's opener on 24
minutes, but they did not sit back on their lead and Boudewijn Zenden
forced Kralj into yet another save when he cut in from the left and hit a
low shot. 

The second goal saw Davids set up Kluivert on 38 minutes, but Rijkaard's
men could have gone further clear when Bergkamp forced Kralj into a reflex
save as half-time approached. 

It took just six minutes after the interval before the crowd were once
again on their feet, as Paul Bosvelt went down the right and curled a low
cross towards the near post, where Kluivert had got in front of Govedarica
but missed with his swipe before it cannoned off the defender and into the
roof of the net. 

Overmars nearly created Holland's fourth goal, when his clever cross
picked out the incoming Zenden, but Kralj was quickly off his goal-line to
smother the ball as the Barcelona man reached it. 

However, the fourth goal was clearly coming and, a minute later, Zenden
pulled the ball back for his Camp Nou team-mate to calmly place the ball
in the far corner for what was eventually confirmed as his hat-trick goal. 

The Dutch attack continued to press forward and create chances as
Yugoslavia searched for a consolation, with Mihajlovic, Darko Kovacevic
and Milosevic all going close. 

The final gloss was put on a magnificent performance by the Dutch when
Bergkamp passed across the edge of the area to Overmars, who flicked the
ball up and volleyed past Kralj, who could only get his fingers to the
ball in vain as it flew into the top corner. 

Overmars added the record sixth when Philip Cocu's shot rebounded off the
post to the Arsenal winger, who passed the ball into the net past the
flailing Kralj in the 90th minute. 

The consolation for the Yugoslavs finally came in injury time when Pedrag
Mijatovic saw his volley come off the underside of the bar to Milosevic,
who hit the ball past substitute goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, on for van
der Sar as manager Rijkaard looked to preserve his number one custodian
for the clash with Italy on Thursday.