FARO, Portugal, 27 June 2004 — The Netherlands broke their shootout jinx to beat Sweden 5-4 on penalties yesterday and reach a Euro 2004 semifinal against hosts Portugal.
The teams had drawn 0-0 after extra time in a closely fought quarterfinal match in sweltering heat and despite both sides striking the woodwork they could not break the deadlock.
The Dutch had suffered the heartbreak of losing shootouts in the last three European Championships and the 1998 World Cup.
Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasted his spot kick over the bar but Dutch midfielder Philip Cocu also missed when he hit the post.
Sweden defender Olof Mellberg’s penalty was then saved by Edwin Van der Sar before Arjen Robben got the winner.
The Dutch will play Portugal in Lisbon on Wednesday.
The match kicked off in very hot conditions and there was little urgency from either side as a result.
Dutch winger Arjen Robben was the exception, with his nimble runs down both flanks causing problems for the Swedish defense.
Robben popped up on the right after 10 minutes to take a pass from Clarence Seedorf and rifle in a shot that goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson did well to tip over.
Sweden’s one promising move came three minutes before halftime when Mattias Jonson, at last injecting some pace into their attack, raced clear on the right and pulled the ball back to the edge of the box.
Andreas Svensson had time and space to pick his spot but his shot went straight at Dutch defender Wilfred Bouma, who had replaced injured captain Frank de Boer after 35 minutes.
Otherwise, Sweden seemed content to keep close tabs on the tournament’s joint-top scorer four-goal Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
The Dutch striker had his first clear chance immediately after the restart, when he put a header over the bar from Robben’s cross.
That was the signal for a much livelier second half, with Sweden in particular pushing forward with more conviction.
With 56 minutes gone, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a shot hacked off the line by Dutch midfielder Philip Cocu after a piece of sloppy defending by Jaap Stam had let him in.
Van Nistelrooy came close to the opener in the 62nd minute when he chested down a long ball from Clarence Seedorf and got in a shot that Isaksson managed to block with the rebound coming back off the Dutch striker and rolling just wide of the goal.
Four minutes later Stam then surged through the Swedish defense and planted a left-foot shot just wide of the post from 20 meters before Sweden midfielder Frederik Ljungberg turned on the edge of the box and fired just wide in the 74th minute.
The Netherlands then enjoyed a late spell of pressure with Van Nistelrooy’s header and a shot from substitute Roy Makaay both just clearing the bar in stoppage time.
Three minutes into extra time Robben struck a dipping shot that deceived Isaksson, bounced off his body and hit the post before going off for a corner with Makaay lurking dangerously.
Seven minutes later Dutch midfielder Seedorf brought a fine save from Isaksson with a 20-meter drive and from the resulting cross Van Nistelrooy flashed a shot wide.
Sweden responded just before the end of the first period of extra-time when substitute Kim Kallstrom hit the side netting.
The Dutch began to pile on the pressure after the break and Seedorf forced Isaksson into a brilliant one-handed save with a curling right-foot free kick just outside the area.
In the 22nd minute of extra time Sweden striker Henrik Larsson turned inside the box only to see his rasping drive hit the top of the bar to the relief of the stranded Van der Sar.
Ljungberg also struck the woodwork when his right foot shot from just outside the area thumped against the base of the post. It was the last chance before the match went to penalties.
Hitzfeld Says Odds Less Than 50-50 He’ll Coach Germany
In Berlin, Ottmar Hitzfeld, the leading candidate to succeed Rudi Voeller as Germany coach, said yesterday the odds he would accept the job were less than 50-50 because he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Hitzfeld, sacked by Bayern Munich in May, told Welt am Sonntag newspaper he still had to talk with his wife about the post. He admitted it sounded insane to pass up a chance to coach Germany but said he had planned to take a break next season.
“I have to talk with my wife,” said Hitzfeld, 55. “She was looking forward to me doing something else next year. I wanted to recharge my batteries for a year and get away from the pressure. I wanted to spend more time with my family.”
He said the odds were “less than 50 percent” that he would replace Voeller who quit on Thursday in the wake of Germany’s first round exit at Euro 2004.
“It’s really entirely open,” Hitzfeld said. “My family is really very, very important to me.”
Hitzfeld won the Champions League with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The 2006 World Cup takes place in Germany.
Hitzfeld was a top candidate four years ago to coach Germany but Bayern Munich would not let him out of his contract. They then fired him a year before his contract expired.
