By Tam Nguyen, Nguoi Viet
Home-country Brazil and the Netherlands will meet Saturday for third-place in the World Cup, and, for Brazil, a chance for redemption.
Arjen Robben (11) of the Netherlands scores during the penalty kicks stages of the semifinal match between the Netherlands and Argentina. (Photo by Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images)
Brazil was embarrassed in its 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany. The Brazilians will want a chance to end the tournament with a win.
The Dutch battled Argentina to the end but lost on penalty kicks, 4-2.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. PDT, ESPN
Players to watch
BRAZIL: Thiago Silva will be back after serving a one-game suspension for getting a yellow card in two consecutive games. The Brazilians missed him, along with injured star Neymar, against Germany. Silva is the key defender for the Brazilians as he covers ground in the midfield to keep potential scoring chances from his opponents.
NETHERLANDS: Midfielder Arjen Robben is the team’s leading scorer and has been the difference for the Dutch. With his speed, Robben can get into position for clear shots on goal. Robben also has the ability to find open men and cross the ball in the box for his wingers to finish the attack with a goal.
Keys to victory
BRAZIL: The Brazilians need to get their minds off of the humiliating loss and concentrate on their game plan of attacking the net. Defensively, they cannot let the Dutch get into the box, where they are known to do damage.
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch need to get more clear shots to gain the advantage in the match, and they must get their shots off quickly without letting the ball get settled. They must block the Brazilians’ offensive rush by not letting them get past center field. Offensively, Brazil is a fast team, and once they see a hole, they must pass center field and set up their plays.
Prediction: Brazil will still be in shock over its previous game and the Netherlands will take advantage of that. The Dutch will take the early lead in the first half, and Brazil once again will have to crawl back to get into the game. It will be a wide-open contest with lots of scoring chances.
Final score: Netherlands 2, Brazil 1
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