It just got worse for Brazil. After embarrassingly conceding seven goals to Germany in the semifinal, Brazil returned to the pitch to continue their horrid form.
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Just minutes after the opening whistle, a darting run from Arjen Robben drew a foul inside the area. Thiago Silva, serving as the last defender, pulled down the FIFA Golden Ball finalist from behind. Referee Djamel Haimoudi had was forced to point to the spot. Fortunately for Silva, Haimoudi opted for a yellow card instead of the deserving red.
Robin van Persie would bury the subsequent penalty to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead.
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Before the match, head coach Louis Van Gaal was adamant about making history with his national team—becoming the first Dutch team to finish a World Cup campaign undefeated. "Slowly but surely we are realizing that we have to go for it," van Gaal said (via FIFA). "A Dutch team has never returned home unbeaten and that is now our aim.
"t's going to be part of my speech that it will be my last match and I hope the players want to give me a present in the form of a victory, so that we remain undefeated," he added. "I hope I can prepare them to play a good match. It's quite something to go seven matches unbeaten [in a World Cup]."
After the dream start his men provided, that will most likely be the case. Stay tuned to Sports World News for recurring updates of this third place match in Brasilia.
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