They got it! It was supposed to be one of the best matches of the 2014 World Cup group stage, but the Netherlands had other ideas as they picked apart Spain’s defense and hammered the defending champions, 5-1. Robin Van Persie scored twice, and Arjen Robben added two goals of his own as the Oranje absolutely crushed Spain. Diego Costa, who was a controversial choice for Spain having been Brazil born and raised and yet chose to get Spanish citizenship so he could play for Spain, was constantly booed throughout the night. He faked a foul in the penalty box which the referee fell for and awarded a spot kick which Xabi Alonso converted. The Dutch struck when Robin Van Persie executed a sensational volley header off a long curling pass from Danny Blind that left Casillas frozen as the ball sailed over his head and into the goal. Early in the second half, Robben put the Dutch ahead 2-1 thanks to some wonderful footwork in the Spanish box. He showed a tremendous touch, bringing down the looping cross from Blind, and managing to immediately control the ball and cut back as Gerard Piqué’s momentum carried him past. Robben fired his shot to the right of the sliding Casillas, and the Netherlands were ahead.

Sneijder sent a free kick from the left wing across the face of goal, and Casillas failed to deal with it properly as Van Persie collided with the goalkeeper. In the confusion, Stefan De Vrij was able to sneak it at the far post and apparently head the ball down off his own foot, and over the line, giving the Netherlands a 3-1 lead. In the 73rd minute, Casillas made a horrible mistake with his first touch, allowing the ball to bounce right to Van Persie at the top of the box. The goalkeeper’s desperate sliding tackle was too late, as RVP held his balance long enough to toe-poke the ball into the empty net: 4-1, Netherlands. Spain’s comical defending continued in the 81st minute when they simply couldn’t stop Robben as he danced around inside the box, before firing the ball into the once again empty net to make it 5-1. The rout was complete.