Last updated

7/06/2003

Latest Team News

WE Group 3 Standing at a glance










Important win over Belarus


Saturday 7




MINSK, June 7 (AFP) - Patrick Kluivert became the Dutch national team´s all-time leading scorer with his 38th international goal as Holland beat Belarus 2-0 here on Saturday and moved top of their Euro 2004 qualifying group.

Kluivert lobbed the ball over Belarus keeper Gennady Tumilovich in the 68th minute to move ahead of Dennis Bergkamp´s 37 goals in the scoring charts. Second-half substitute Marc Overmars had given Holland the lead just after the hour mark.

The Dutch now lead Group Three with 13 points from five matches, three points ahead of second-placed Czech Republic, who have a game in hand.

Belarus meanwhile slump to the bottom of the group with just three points from five games.

The Dutch had started the match pinned into the own half before breaking free after the opening quarter of an hour, creating several chances but failing to find the net before half time.

After the interval the Dutch were firmly in command, forcing Tumilovich into several remarkable saves.

Overmars broke the stalemate with a 22-yard strike into the left-handed corner and six minutes later Kluivert met Clarence Seedorf´s cross from the right to find the net and enter the history books.

Belarus tried in vain to pull a goal back but the Dutch - still smarting from their failure to qualify for last year´s World Cup finals - took another step towards next year´s finals in Portugal.

They next face Austria on September 6.

In Saturday´s other Group Three match Moldova defeated Austria 1-0 in Tiraspol, chalking up their first points in the qualifying campaign.


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  GP W D L PTS
Netherland 5 4 1 0 13
Czech R 4 3 1 0 10
Austria 5 2 0 3 6
Moldova 6 2 0 4 6
Belarus 4 0 0 4 0
** **Belarus 0 - 2 Netherlands **

Van Nistelrooy most valuable player in 2002

Van Nistelrooy of the Oranje will be featured in the upcoming new game - FIFA 2002 by EA Sports. The game will be availabe in November for both PC and Playstation one and two.