Edwin Van der Sar was the named captain for this game, the big man has been great for Man Utd this season and was looking for his club form to continue into this tournament also. Van Der Sar will be retiring from international football after Euro 2008, winning it would certainly be a great way for him to bow out.

Fielded in the game were the following eleven players for the Netherlands:

Van der Sar
Van Bronckhorst, Mathijsen, Bouhlarouz, Ooijer
Kuyt, Engelaar, Van der Vaart, De Jong, Sneijder
Van Nistelrooy

Twelve substitutes were named for Netherlands, the substitutes were as follows: Tim de Cler, Robin Van Persie, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Wilfred Bouma, Demy de Zeeuw, Ibrahim Afellay, Henk Timmer, Johnny Heitinga, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Mario Melchiot, Maarten Stekelenburg, Arjen Robben.

The first Netherlands substitute was used in the 70th minute when Van Persie came on in place of Van Nistelrooy, next on was Heitinga in the 77th minute for Boulahrouz, then last but not least was a swap of Afellay for Kuyt in the 81st minute.

The captain for Italy for this game was the keeper of Gianluigi Buffon. Buffon currently plays his club football for Juventus, he's been there since 2001 and is a supremely strong and much appreciated part of the squad. He's a proud Italian man with over 80 international caps behind him.

Fielded in the game were the following eleven players for Italy:

Buffon
Zambrotta, Materazzi, Barzagli, Panucci
Ambrosini, Pirlo, Gattuso
Di Natale, Toni, Camoranesi

Twelve substitutes were named for Italy, the substitutes were as follows: Fabio Quagliarella, Fabio Quagliarella, Alberto Aquilani, Marco Amelia, Giorgio Chiellini, Simone Perrotta, Marco Borriello, Fabio Grosso, Fabio Grosso, Daniele De Rossi, Morgan De Sanctis, Alessandro Del Piero.

All three substitutes were used by Italy; the last of which was Cassano on for Camoranesi in the 75th minute shortly before the third and final Netherlands goal was scored. The first substitution was implemented in the 55th minute when Materazzi was replaced by Grosso, the second was in the 64th as Del Piero took to the field in place of Di Natale.

As this one got going it seemed to be an incredibly close one, both teams looked to be extremely evenly matched and I personally would not have liked to have picked a winner. Both teams played good football in the early stages of the game, it was the Netherlands that made the breakthrough however when Ruud van Nistelrooy scored from an entirely offside position in the 26th minute. Van Nistelrooy was a good couple of yards off, his goal counted however and Holland therefore went into the lead at this mid stage of the first half. Confusion may have been caused for the linesman by the fact that an Italian player was on the floor just off of the field, Van Nistelrooy held back in celebrating but when he did so the joy on his face was absolutely phenomenal.

In the 31st minute Italy had a great chance to equalise, the ball was cleared off of the line by Van Bronckhorst and within 17 seconds the ball was up the other end of the field and in the Italian goal for the second time in the game. It may be argued that the second goal never would have came had it not been for the offside opening goal; the Netherlands found themselves to be 2-0 up however and Sneijder was more than happy to grab himself the best goal of the tournament thus far. It was such a well taken goal by Sneijder, one of the best international goals I have ever witnessed and one that I am sure the Dutch fans will not be forgetting in a hurry.

The excitement did not stop at 2-0 for the Dutch side in the first half, Van Nistelrooy had a great chance to make it three and nearly did just that. The ball was well saved by Buffon, it could and should have been three for the Netherlands however and Van Nistelrooy will be kicking himself for having missed the opportunity to score that one. A three goal advantage would not have flattered the Netherlands at the break, a 2-0 half-time lead over the world champions is nothing to be ashamed of however and as the Netherlands left the field for half time they looked to be much the happier side. An Italian equaliser had nearly came but ultimately at the stroke of 45 minutes the Italians found themselves to be on the wrong end of a two goal score line. It was 2-0 at the break but still there was much to play for here in the second half, the advantage was very much in the Dutch camp but the Italians were not to be written off.

As the two teams came out after half time you could tell that neither side considered the match to be over, Italy were going for a goal and the Netherlands also were looking to further extend their lead. Both teams were hungry for the win, there was a great deal of drive and determination present on both sides of the field and although Holland were 2-0 up the Italians still had the opportunity to get back into the game on more than one occasion. When Del Piero came on in the 66th minute he was causing problems straight away, the man may be 33 now but he's still an absolutely excellent player. Every time Del Piero was in possession of the ball he looked dangerous, creating chances out of what looked to be nothing and several times nearly grabbing a goal for his nation.

A goal never came for Italy, a third did however arrive for the Dutch and Van Bronckhorst was just the man to score it. Once more the goal came on the counter-attack, Edwin Van Der Sar made the most amazing save in the Dutch goal and the ball went straight back up the other end and right into the back of the Italian net. The goal was well built, the header well taken by Van Bronckhorst and as soon as the ball left his head it was destined to go in the goal. Three goals flattered the Dutch really, the side did not deserve a three goal lead but they had one in what had really been a relatively even game. After the first goal the Dutch gained a swagger about their performance, a confidence on the ball which ultimately propelled them to a comfortable victory. The first goal really shouldn't have stood, it did though and by the end of the game the Dutch were good value for the win. 3-0 definitely flattered the Netherlands, they were certainly deserving of a win however and will be pleased with their performance in the opening game of their tournament.

Group C is by far the toughest group, it contains three tournament favourites and the Dutch now look well set to progress in the tournament after these three points. The Dutch will probably progress to the final I feel, they're certainly one of the strongest teams in the tournament if not the finest team in the UEFA Euro 2008 competition and if they do not make it to the final then they'll certainly get very far. I believe it's between the Netherlands and Portugal to win the cup, Italy are certainly a strong side however and must be seen as the favourites to progress from this group along with the Dutch. The Netherlands and Italy are two great footballing nations, either side could have won this one but ultimately it was won by the Dutch side. A number of players played excellently in this game, Del Piero will be a real threat to opponents in this competition and if Van Persie can make it fully fit then he too will be a massive worry to defenders. The work ethic of Dirk Kuyt always was excellent in this game, long may Netherlands remain in Euro 2008 and this team is I feel one of the main contenders for lifting the UEFA Euro 2008 trophy.

Final Score: Netherlands 3 - 0 Italy