Theo reitsma maradona biography
Twelve Yards
It was ironic that Frank de Boer’s first match as Holland coach ended in defeat to Mexico after a penalty. De Boer, you may remember, was the chief culprit of Holland’s penalty nadir, when he missed two penalties in the Dutch team’s loss to Italy in an unforgettable Euro 2000 semi-final. It was Holland’s third shoot-out defeat in four years (and third Euro elimination on penalties in a row). And it revealed a worrying truth about the Dutch and penalties.
Photo: Pawel Kopczynski / Reuters
Let’s look at what happened. Tournament co-hosts Holland dominated the match. Italy had Gianluca Zambrotta sent off in the first half. And Holland missed two penalties in normal time. De Boer, the Holland captain, missed the first penalty, after 36 minutes, and he missed Holland’s first in the shoot-out.
De Boer thought his first kick was a decent one, but Italy goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, booked for protesting the penalty award, had psyched him out. At least, De Boer thought he had. A few days earlier, De Boer had scored a penalty against Czech Republic, kicking right-footed to his non-natural side. At the 1998 World Cup, against Brazil, he had done the same. “That’s how I should have shot against Italy, but I decided at the last minute to do something else,” De Boer said.
On the day before the game, he had over-practised penalties, taking 40 after training, even shooting with his eyes closed.
“Scoring in both corners the previous day did not help. I thought that Toldo had seen my penalties and that put doubt in my mind.”
“What did De Boer do wrong?” Dutch TV’s touchline reporter asked Johan Cruyff at half-time. “He didn't score, “said Cruyff, “but at least he picked his corner. That's one way of doing it. Look, you can't prepare for these situations.”
Fifteen minutes into the second half, referee Marcus Merk awarded Holland another penalty. De Boer didn't fancy it, and offered it to Patrick Kluivert, Holland’s in-form centre-forward. “I had
The never-ending magic of the Olympic Stadium in Munich
Articles
Written by Jean-Paul Rison, 30 November 2021Many legendary football temples were immediately knocked down by the demolition crews after the players left. Think Highbury and White Hart Lane, and Vicente Calderón is no longer there either. Munich is different: in the Olympiastadion, it seems as if time has stood still for years.
From Dutch Pain to Dutch Elation
It is no exaggeration to say that the Munich Olympiastadion has a place in the heart of every Dutch football fan. After all, Oranje played its two most often discussed international matches in history, which are passed down from generation to generation. First the pain of losing in the World Cup final in '74, then the unprecedented euphoria of '88. Cruijff's rush in the first minute, Gerd Müller's painfully slow goal, and later, of course, Marco van Basten's goal. From the commentary by Theo Reitsma to Rinus Michels with his hands over his eyes, we can all dream of it.
Football Temple from days gone by
Although the Olympiastadion only functioned as a football stadium for 35 years, it has delivered three centuries' worth of legendary moments. The German world title, Nottingham Forest won their first European Cup here, Olympique Marseille with the only Champions League win, and of course the famous – and often wrongly attributed to Stuttgart – warm-up by Diego Maradona. It all took place in the Olympiastadion, not to mention the countless victories of Bayern and 1860 Munich. But after the opening of the Allianz Arena in 2005, things changed.
Monument of Munich and Germany in general
Today the Olympiastadion is almost the same as it was then. The stadium, built for the 1972 Olympic Games, has a monumental status due to its great significance for the city of Munich, Germany in general and its special architecture. Ideal for football fans to soak up a little bit of Munich football history. Accessible every day, and for .