How did they perform in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying?
• The Netherlands rarely looked in trouble in Group G and qualified with a game to spare.
• Romania proved to be the Netherlands' most serious rivals, holding them to a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam and then progressing to the finals with a 1-0 win against Marco van Basten's side in challenging conditions in Constanta.
• Qualification was assured with a 1-0 home win against Luxembourg. The minnows withstood a Dutch onslaught but went down to a solitary Danny Koevermans goal.
• They finished second in the section after an unexpected 2-1 defeat in Belarus in their final qualifier.
• Besides qualification for Austria and Switzerland, another major positive from the Dutch campaign was the opportunity given the stars of their 2006 and 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winning squads to impress at senior level.
How did they perform in the 2006 FIFA World Cup?
• Controlled their group in the qualifying round phase of the 2006 FIFA World Cup by winning ten and drawing two of their 12 outings in the competition. Topped the group standings by five points from the Czech Republic with Romania a further two points behind in third.
• Their 32 points from 12 matches provided the highest points per match haul in the competition (2.67 points per match – England and Portugal were tied for second with 2.5 points per match).
• The Dutch progressed through a difficult group at the finals after meeting Serbia and Montenegro (1-0), Ivory Coast (2-1) and Argentina (0-0).
• Their tournament ended in the second round though after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Portugal in a game that saw both sides finish with nine men.
How did they perform in UEFA EURO 2004™?
• Having finished as runners-up to the Czech Republic in the qualifying round, the Netherlands defeated Scotland 6-1 on aggregate to book their place in the final tournament in Portugal. In the group stage, the Dutch played second fiddle to the Czechs once more, but advanced to the knockout stages where they overcame Sweden on penalties in the quarter-finals before losing 2-1 to Portugal in the semis.
What is their best performance in the UEFA European Football Championship?
• The Netherlands won the competition in 1988, their only appearance in the final to date. They defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 at Munich's Olympiastadion on 25 June 1988 thanks to goals from Ruud Gullit (32 minutes) and current coach Marco van Basten (54).
• The Dutch have also appeared in four additional semi-finals (2004, 2000, 1992 and 1976) and one additional quarter-final (1996).
Key facts
• The Dutch have qualified for the last five UEFA European Championship final tournaments.
All-time record
• Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying, the Netherlands had played 117 matches in the UEFA European Championship. Their record read: 72 wins, 22 draws and 23 losses with 241 goals scored and 91 conceded.
• The Dutch did not participate in the 1960 UEFA European Championship.
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