Video: Netherlands 4-1 Russia, Their Last Meeting

As if the Dutch needed any extra confidence coming off of their 9-1 aggregate victory over the rest of the group of death, they can fondly look back on February 7th, 2007, the last time Russia and Holland squared off.

Neutrals shouldn’t be too disappointed if there aren’t any early goals in today’s quarterfinal between the two, because the last one was 0-0 at halftime. But anyone who left the pub early would be sorely disappointed when they heard the news. Five goals in the last 22 minutes turned a snorer into a goalfest in no time flat.

Granted, this was only a friendly, and Guus Hiddink doesn’t specialize in friendlies – he steps up in the big games. Still, goalscorers Wesley Sneijder, Joris Mathijsen and Rafael van der Vaart will remember that day well. It will be up to Hiddink, and rising star Andrei Arshavin, to stop history from repeating.

Ryan Babel’s long range bullet of an opener:

Sneijder’s excellent top-shelf goal: