If as everyone suggests, Holland are one of the favourites for the World Cup, then this was not an especially impressive start against a Denmark side that defended dreadfully and attacked sporadically. Handed an own-goal from Christian Poulsen, Holland, derprived of Arjen Robben, struggled to make any inroads until Bert van Marwijk replaced the ineffectual Rafael van der Vaart with Eljero Elia, although it was Dirk Kuyt with a two-yard tap-in who was the beneficiary of Elia’s work-rate.

After a reasonable first half, Denmark looked flat and uninspired with everything now hanging on Saturday’s meeting with the equally pointless Cameroon.