9 March 2011 - Canada Claims Their Cup

On 9 March 2011, a 99th-minute goal from defender Emily Zurrer gave Canada their third Cyprus Cup in four years, beating the Netherlands 2-1 (aet).

Established in 2008, the Cyprus Cup is a women's invitational competition in Cyprus featuring national teams from around the world. Canada won the first edition, then finished as runners-up to England in 2009 before winning it again in 2010.

Twelve teams participated in 2011, split into three groups of four. At the end of the group stage, the teams were paired up in various combinations in the placement round, with the winners of Groups A and B playing for the title. That year, Canada and the Netherlands were those two teams, with each winning all of their group matches.

In the final, the Canadians took a 20th-minute lead with a goal from Jonelle Filigno. But Dutch striker Claudia van den Heiligenberg drew the Netherlands level twenty minutes later. The teams went to extra time, where Zurrer won the match with only the second goal of her international career (she had scored the first one, also a match-winner, just one week earlier in Canada's opening group stage victory over Scotland).

The win also tipped Canada's all-time winning percentage over .500, giving them a record of 110 wins, 109 losses, and 34 draws.

Canada returned to the final again in 2012, but lost to France, 0-2.

6 November 1966 - The Oranje's First Red

On 6 November 1966, Johan Cruyff earned one of his earliest distinctions, becoming the first player to be sent off in a match for the Dutch national team.

It was only the second national team appearance for Cruyff, who was then just 19 years old and in his third season with Ajax. He had scored in his Netherlands debut, a 2-2 draw with Hungary a month earlier in a European Championship qualifier.

His follow-up was a friendly against Czechoslovakia, played before a crowd of 52,000 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The Czechs struck first, going up 0-1 with a 27th-minute goal from midfielder Ján Geleta. Dutch forward Sjaak Swart equalized for the hosts in the 51st minute, but they remained level for only three minutes, as midfielder Ivan Hrdlička restored the visitors' lead in the 54th minute.

In the 76th minute, with the Netherlands struggling to maintain possession, Cruyff committed a foul that drew the historic ejection from referee Rudi Glöckner. Czechoslovakia held on to win 1-2, while Cruyff's punishment continued far beyond the next match--the KNVB suspended him from international play for almost a year, so that he did not receive his next cap until 13 September 1967.

It was a costly suspension. Despite a storied career that included three European Footballer of the Year Awards (1971, 1973, 1974) he made only 48 national team appearances. But he still managed to score 33 goals for the Netherlands, a tally that ties him for fifth on their current all-time list.

26 October 2010 - Maybe He Was 100% Wrong, Ever Think Of That?

On 26 October 2010, Paul, the world's most famous psychic octopus, died of natural causes. He was two and half years old.

Housed at the Sea Life Center in Oberhausen, Germany, Paul first rose to prominence by picking his host country to win all of their matches at the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. He chose the winner by selecting food from one of two clear plastic boxes placed in his tank, one box bearing the German flag and the other with that of Germany's opponent--the country whose flag was on the box containing the food he selected was predicted to be the winner. For that tournament, he successfully picked Germany as the winner in four out of six matches.

Paul used the same methodology for Germany's matches in the 2010 World Cup. Unlike the previous tournament, however, Paul did not predict Germany to win every match, correctly calling losses to Serbia in the group stage and Spain in the semifinals. But he got every other match correct, including Germany's win over Uruguay in the third-place match.

With Germany eliminated, Paul's handlers asked him to pick the winner of his first match that didn't involve the Germans--the final between Spain and the Netherlands. Again, Paul chose correctly, tipping Spain to lift the trophy. That result meant that he accurately selected the winner in all eight predictions for the tournament. With a 50/50 chance of guessing each winner, the probability of Paul's predictions was 256 to 1.

14 October 1992 - Van Basten's International Farewell

On 14 October 1992, Dutch captain Marco van Basten made his last appearance for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Poland. A persistent ankle injury ended his career shortly afterward.

The match was only his 58th cap and came just over two weeks before his 28th birthday. Just four years earlier, he had starred for the Oranje in the European Championship, scoring a tournament-best five goals--including a hat-trick against England--as the Netherlands took the trophy. A disappointing early World Cup exit followed in 1990, however, with van Basten failing to find the net (the team scored only three goals in the tournament).

In 1991-92, van Basten finished the season with AC Milan as Serie A's top scorer and won a handful of individual awards, including the European Footballer of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year. But he missed a critical penalty in the Netherlands' Euro 1992 semifinal against Denmark and the Dutch went out 2-2 (4-5).

Van Basten hoped to turn the tide in the 1994 World Cup and captained the Netherlands for the start of their qualification campaign. But after only two matches, a 2-1 loss to Norway and the 2-2 draw with Poland, he missed the team's next two matches. Then, in May 1993, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the entire 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and the 1994 World Cup. The injury never fully healed and forced his early retirement in 1995.

Although he never played for Holland again, he did return to the team in 2004 as manager and spent four years in the role.

3 July 1947 - Rensenbrink On The Rise

On 3 July 1947, forward Rob Rensenbrink was born in Amsterdam. He went on to star for Anderlecht and the Netherlands, winning the 1976 Onze d'Or.

He started his career in 1965 as an amateur with his hometown club DWS, then signed a professional contract with Brugge in 1969. In two seasons there, he scored 24 goals in 55 league appearances and won his first silverware, the 1970 Belgian Cup, before moving to Anderlecht in 1971. At Anderlecht, he continued the success that began in Brugge, winning four more Belgian Cups (1972, 1973, 1975, 1976) and two league titles (1972, 1974). He also enjoyed European success, twice winning both the Cup Winners' Cup (1976, 1978) and the UEFA Super Cup (1976, 1978). In 1976, he won the inaugural Onze d'Or, chosen by the readers of French magazine Onze Mondial.

He earned his first cap for the Netherlands in 1968, but labored under the shadow of Johan Cruyff, who played in Rensenbrink's preferred left forward position. To accommodate both of them, coach Rinus Michels played Rensenbrink on the left wing for the 1974 World Cup with the Netherlands finishing as runners-up to West Germany.

By 1978, Cruyff had retired, so Rensenbrink moved up to the now-vacant forward spot. The Dutch again advanced to the final, where Rensenbrink nearly gave them the win--in the last few seconds, with the match level, he fired from a narrow angle and just missed the goal, instead striking the post. Argentina went on to win the match in extra time.

He retired in 1982 after brief spells with the Portland Timbers (1980) and Toulouse (1981-82).

8 November 1946 - He Could Teach Carmen Sandiego A Thing Or Two

On 8 November 1946, Guus Hiddink was born in the Dutch town of Varsseveld. He would go on to become one of the world's most celebrated--if peripatetic--football managers.

He began and ended his 15-year playing career as a midfielder for Dutch side De Graafschap (1967-70, 1972-76, 1981-82), but also spent time with PSV Eindhoven (1970-72), the Washington Diplomats (1976), the San Jose Earthquakes (1977), and NEC (1978-81). Upon his retirement in 1982 from playing, he returned once more to De Graafschap, but as their manager. But he made his managerial name at PSV Eindhoven.

He moved to PSV in 1984 as an assistant coach, then took over the top job in 1987. In that first season as manager, he led PSV to the treble success of the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup, and the European Cup. He followed with two more league titles and KNVB Cups in his next two seasons. Then, after short stints at Fenerbahçe (1990-91) and Valencia (1991-94), he took over the Dutch national team in 1995.

Despite success with the Dutch (finishing in 4th place at the 1998 World Cup), he did not stay long, starting a journey that would include spells with Real Madrid (1998-99), Real Betis (2000), South Korea (2000-02), a return to PSV (2002-06), Australia (2005-06), Russia (2006-10), and Chelsea (2009). He led both South Korea and Australia to their greatest World Cup successes (the semifinals in 2002 and the 2006 Round of 16, respectively). And on two occasions, he simultaneously managed a club and a country (PSV and Australia in 2005-06; Chelsea and Russia in 2009).

In 2010, he moved to his current post in charge of Turkey's national team.

26 September 1990 - Bergkamp's International Career Takes Flight

On 26 September 1990, Dennis Bergkamp made his international debut for the Netherlands in a friendly against Italy. He would go on to become the Dutch national team's greatest goalscorer.

Bergkamp, a second striker (and renowned aviophobe), began his professional career four years earlier with Ajax, where he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987) and the KNVB Cup (1987) before winning the Eredivisie in 1990. His performance that season won him the Dutch Football Talent of the Year and earned his his first cap for the Netherlands.

The Dutch lost that first match, 1-0 in Palermo, but Bergkamp developed into a prolific striker, scoring 37 goals in 79 international appearances - enough to make him the Netherlands' top scorer by the time of his international retirement in 2000 (though he was later surpassed by Patrick Kluivert). The Dutch failed to claim any major silverware during his tenure, but he earned an individual honor by winning the 1992 UEFA Euro golden boot. He also won silverware at the club level with Ajax, Inter, and especially Arsenal, where he won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups between 1995 and 2006.

3 July 1974 - The Dutch Out-Brazil Brazil

On 3 July 1974, the Netherlands secured their spot in the World Cup Final by beating defending champions Brazil 2-0 in the second round.

The Netherlands and Brazil were the last to meet in their second-round group, both having already beaten fellow group members Argentina and East Germany, meaning that the winner would reach the Final. The Dutch were led by captain and reigning European Footballer of the Year, Johan Cruyff. Ostensibly a center forward, Cruyff had the freedom to roam the pitch in the Oranje's Total Football system, which abandoned positional rigidity for a free-flowing dynamic style. Brazil, meanwhile, relied on veteran midfielder Jairzinho, who had scored seven goals in the previous World Cup, second only to West Germany's Gerd Müller.

As befitting their shared attacking style, the two sides exchanged close chances in an attacking first half, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. That changed shortly after the break, as Dutch midfielder Johan Neeskens stormed into the box to latch onto the end of a Cruyff cross and chip it over the Brazilian keeper in the 50th minute. Cruyff doubled the lead fifteen minutes later with a leaping right-foot volley.

Brazil's efforts to mount a comeback were undone by the 84th-minute ejection of defender Luis Pereira for an uncharacteristically clumsy tackle.

The Netherlands advanced to the Final, where they lost 2-1 to West Germany.

25 June 1978 - Argentina Treats The Dutch To A Loss

On 25 June 1978, hosts Argentina won their first World Cup, defeating the Netherlands 1-3 (aet), making them the fifth country to win the Cup as hosts.

The tournament took place during the reign of dictator Jorge Rafael Videla, who had taken control of the nation through a military coup two years earlier. After the coup, several countries, including the Netherlands, publicly debated whether to withdraw from the tournament. But all of the qualified teams eventually chose to participate.

Both Argentina and the Netherlands finished second in their respective first-round groups, but advanced to the Final by finishing at the top of their second-round groups. Argentina did so controversially, as they entered their last second-round match against Peru needing to win by more than four goals in order to pass group leaders Brazil. They won 6-0.

Playing the Final before a crowd of 71,483 at Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental, Argentina took a 37th-minute lead with a goal from Valencia striker Mario Kempes (pictured). The goal tied Kempes with Holland's Rob Rensenbrink as the tournament's top scorer. The Dutch, playing in their second consecutive Final, equalized with a header from midfielder Dick Nanninga in the 82nd minute. Rensenbrink came close to winning the match in stoppage time, but his shot hit the post.

In extra time, Kempes struck again in the 104th minute. It was his sixth goal of the tournament and earned him the golden boot. Winger Daniel Bertoni added an insurance goal in the 115th minute to complete the day's scoring.

16 March 1909 - Amateur Players, Professional Butt-Kickers

On 16 March 1909, England's amateur side played a friendly against Germany in Oxford, delivering a 9-0 beating that remains Germany's worst-ever defeat. While few details of the match remain, it was the second straight win over Germany for the English amateurs, who had previously beaten the Germans 1-5 in Berlin the previous year.

Due to the growth of the English league in the early 1900s, the England amateur side was established in 1906 in order to provide a team for players who were good, but not good enough to crack the senior side. The wins over Germany were no flukes, however. Those two matches were part of a greater run for England's amateurs, who were on a 10-game winning streak prior to the match in Oxford. After that win, they rattled off seven more for a total of 17 straight wins before drawing 2-2 with Belgium in Brussels later that month. They won two more matches for a total unbeaten run of 20 before finally losing 2-1 to Denmark in May 1910.

In 1974, the amateur side was disbanded as the FA stopped distinguishing between amateur and professional players. By that time, the amateurs had inflicted record defeats on the Netherlands (12-2 in 1907), Sweden (12-1 in 1908), Belgium (11-2 in 1909), and Hungary (7-0 in 1912, tied with two other matches).

31 December 1973 - Cruyff Returns To The Top

On 31 December 1973, Dutch international Johan Cruyff won the European footballer of the year award, the Ballon d'Or. It was the second such award for Cruyff, who first won it it 1971.

Cruyff began the year in his ninth season with Ajax and, by the end of the 1972-73 season, had led the Amsterdam side to a treble consisting of the 1973 European Super Cup, their sixth Eredivisie title, and their third consecutive European Cup. In the summer of 1973, he moved to Barcelona.

Internationally, Cruyff's Netherlands team had qualified for the 1974 World Cup, edging Belgium out at the top of the group on goal differential.

The award catapulted Cruyff into another successsful year in 1974, with Barcelona winning their first La Liga title in 14 seasons and the Dutch advancing to the World Cup Final, eliminating Brazil, East Germany, and Argentina along the way. Although the Oranje lost to West Germany in the Final, Cruyff was named Player of the Tournament and went on the win his third Ballon d'Or, the first player in history to win the award three times.

31 October 1964 - Birth Of The Dutch Master

On 31 October 1964, future World Player of the Year and three-time European Footballer of the Year Marco van Basten was born in Utrecht.

In 1981, the then-16-year old striker signed with Ajax in 1981. He made his first appearance for the senior side in April 1982, scoring a goal on his debut. He secured a starting position for the 1983-84 season and became the Eredivisie's top scorer that year with 28 goals in 26 league appearances. He remained the league's top scorer for the next three seasons.

While at Ajax, the club won three league titles (1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85), three Dutch Cups (1983, 1986, 1987), and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987).

In 1987, van Basten transferred to Milan. An ankle injury limited his playing time to 11 matches in that first season, but Milan won the Scudetto. Internationally, van Basten led the Netherlands to the 1988 UEFA European Championship as the tournament's top scorer. He won his first European Footballer of the Year award that year.

The following season, he helped Milan to the Serie A title and the 1989 European Cup trophy, scoring two goals in the Final along the way to claiming his second European Footballer of the Year award.

He won his third European Footballer of the Year award in 1992, along with the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award, after leading Milan to yet another Serie A title as the league's top scorer.

His recurring ankle injury ended his playing career in 1993, though he did not officially retire until 1995.

13 October 1993 - Koeman Kicks England Out Of The World Cup

On 13 October 1993, the Netherlands defeated England 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier played before a crowd of approximately 48,000 at Rotterdam's de Kuip Stadion. The defeat meant that England no longer controlled its own destiny with regard to qualification and the side ultimately missed the 1994 World Cup.

Going into the match, England were in second place of UEFA Group 2 on 10 points, three points behind group leaders Norway and one point ahead of the third-place Netherlands. A win would have secured them in second place and automatically qualified them for the World Cup, while a draw would have kept them ahead of the Dutch side.

After a scoreless second half, England captain David Platt was clear through to the goal in the 57th minute and appeared ready to score when his shirt was grabbed by the last man, Dutch captain Ronald Koeman. Although the foul happened a yard inside the box, the referee ignored England's clamor for a penalty and awarded a free kick on the 18-yard line. The Dutch wall safely charged down the kick, taken by defender Tony Dorigo.

Koeman then added to England's misery by scoring from a free kick in the 61st minute. His first attempt was blocked, but the referee ordered it to be retaken, claiming that midfielder Paul Ince had left the wall too early. Koeman took advantage of the second chance, chipping the ball into the top of the net past keeper David Seaman.

It only got worse for England, as Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp appeared to handle the ball before shooting it past Seaman to extend the lead in the 68th minute.

After the loss, England were two points behind the Netherlands for second place and needed a win against San Marino in the last match, combined with a Dutch loss or draw against Poland. England battered San Marino to a 1-7 win, but the Dutch killed off England's World Cup hopes by defeating Poland 1-3.

1 July 1976 - Striking Similarities

On 1 July 1976, two future Dutch internationals were born in the Netherlands - Patrick Kluivert in Amsterdam and Ruud van Nistelrooy in the city of Oss. In addition to sharing the same birthday, they share the same position - striker - and both were included on the FIFA 100, Pelé's March 2004 list of the greatest living footballers.

Kluivert was the first to rise to international prominence, debuting with the Ajax senior side in August 1994 at the age of 18. Ajax won the UEFA Champions League that season, with Kluivert coming off the bench to score the winning goal in the 85th minute in the Final against A.C. Milan. He joined Milan for a brief period in 1997-98, then transferred to Barcelona, where he made 255 appearances in all competitions, scoring 120 goals.

Van Nistelrooy, meanwhile, started his professional career at Dutch Second Division side Den Bosch, where he played from 1993 to 1997. He played the 1997-98 season with Herenveen in the Eredivisie, then moved to PSV Eindhoven, where he scored 75 goals in 91 appearances from 1998 to 2001, winning back-to-back Eredivisie titles in the last two seasons. He also secured individual honors as the Eredivisie top scorer in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and was twice named Dutch Player of the Year (1999, 2000). He continued to enjoy success with Manchester United (2001-06) and Real Madrid (2006-present).

Although their time on the Dutch national team overlapped, with Kluivert playing from 1994 to 2004 and van Nistelrooy from 1998 to 2008, they never played together for the Oranje in a major tournament. Van Nistlerooy did not play in the 1998 World Cup or UEFA Euro 2000, while Kluivert was on the bench for the entire UEFA Euro 2004 tournament and was left out of the 2006 World Cup squad.

26 June 1992 - Is There A Danish Word For "Cinderella"?

On 26 June 1992, Denmark won the UEFA European Championship, defeating Germany 2-0 before a crowd of 37,800 at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Danes were unlikely champions, having initially failed to qualify for the tournament. They finished second in their qualifying group, losing out to Yugoslavia by a single point. On 30 May 1992, however, just eleven days before the opening day of the tournament, the United Nations issued a trade embargo against Yugoslavia in response to that country's ongoing ethnic conflicts. Yugoslavia was thus disqualified from participating and Denmark was called in as a replacement.

As to be expected from a team that had not been planning to play in the tournament, the Danish side got off to a shaky start, drawing with England (0-0) and losing to hosts Sweden (1-0), before finally securing a win against France (2-1) in its last group stage match. The win placed Denmark second in its group, just one point of ahead of both France and England, and sent the Danes through to the knockout rounds.

In its first knockout match, Denmark faced the Netherlands, who were the defending Euro title holders. After trading goals to finish 2-2 at the end of extra time, Denmark won on penalties, 5-4, to advance to the Final against defending World Cup champions Germany.

In the Final, Danish midfielder John Jensen (pictured) opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Describing his goal after the match, Jensen told the press: "The first 20 minutes of football were the hardest most of us had ever faced. The Germans were all over the pitch and we couldn't get into our play. We were working tirelessly and suddenly I had the chance to have a shot at goal. I remember the manager had said to me before the game that if I have a chance to take a shot, then I should go for it."

The Danes kept Germany from scoring and, in the 78th minute, Jensen's midfield partner Kim Vilfort added a second goal as unnecessary insurance. The match ended at 2-0, giving the Danes their first major trophy.

11 June 1978 - Gemmill's Gem

On 11 June 1978, Scotland midfielder Archie Gemmill scored against the Netherlands in the group stages of the World Cup.

Playing in front of over 35,000 people at the Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza in Argentina, Scotland started the day tied with Iran at the bottom of the group with only one point each, while the Netherlands were tied at the top with Peru on 3 points. At the time, wins earned only two points, so in order to advance, the Scots needed to defeat the Dutch by 3 goals to pass them in the standings on goal differential.

Scotland's chances took a turn for the worse when the Netherlands were awarded a penalty, which forward Rob Rensenbrink converted in the 34th minute. Scotland equalized in the 44th minute, however, with a goal from forward Kenny Dalglish. Gemmill then scored to put them ahead in the 46th minute. He wasn't finished, though. In the 68th minute, Gemmill shot a goal past the Dutch keeper to give the Scots a 3-1 lead. As described by The Scotsman in the paper's match report, "The little midfield player homed in on goal, played a magnificent one-two with Dalglish, then sprinted into the box and thumped a glorious goal past Jongbloed to revive all the hopes which had died the death this past fortnight. It was an extraordinary goal and an extraordinary moment. Suddenly Scotland were dreaming of glory again."

The euphoria was short-lived, as Dutch winger Johnny Rep netted in the 71st minute and the match ended at 3-2, eliminating the Scots.

Despite the result, Gemmill's goal is remembered to this day as one of the greatest goals ever scored in the World Cup.

24 March 1913 - What's Red And White On The Bottom And Oranje On Top?

On 24 March 1913, the Netherlands national team recorded its first victory over England. The friendly was played in the Hague between amateur sides, and the Netherlands won by the score of 2-1. Both Dutch goals were scored by Huug de Groot.

The Oranje were managed by Edgar Chadwick (right), who had played for over twenty years in England and had seven appearances (3 goals) for the English national team between 1891 and 1897. He was hired to manage the Dutch national side in 1908 after ending his playing career with non-League Darwen F.C. earlier that year. He coached the Netherlands for a total of 24 matches, winning 14. He led the Dutch to the bronze medal in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, defeating Sweden, Austria, and Finland, but losing to Denmark.

Despite the Olympics medal, the victory over England is widely considered to be Chadwick's greatest success. He coached the Netherlands only once more, a 1-2 loss to England in November 1913. He went on to coach Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam, winning the Netherlands championship in 1915.