Brazil Vs. Netherlands Sends the Samba Kings Home After 2-1 Defeat

The Brazil vs. Netherlands Quarterfinals match in the 2010 World Cup ended in a surprising defeat for the tournament favorites. The Netherlands captured victory 2-1 over Brazil, coming back from an early 1-0 deficit and taking advantage of some fortuitous opportunities and a few mental lapses by the Brazilian squad.

The match started out as expected for the pre-tournament favorites and the five-time World Cup champions. Robinho scored in just the 10th minute of the match, staking Brazil's inevitable claim towards advancement to the semifinals. By halftime, the Netherlands appeared lucky to be down just 1-0, as it seemed Brazil could have scored at least once more.

However, things turned in the second half of the Brazil vs. Netherlands match, and in a 15 minute span the fate of the favorites had turned completely around. Instead of looking to open a larger lead and add some security to ride out an easy victory, they were left shorthanded, desperately in search of their own tying goal.

The Netherlands tied the game at 1 in the 58th minute on what ended up being called an own goal on Felipe Melo. The Netherlands sent a ball into the box and goalkeeper Julio Cesar, a bit obstructed by Melo, missed with his punch. The ball glanced off Melo's head and into the net.

Ten minutes later, Wesley Sneijder gave the Netherlands a 2-1 advantage. Coming off a corner kick, the ball was touched once and then Sneijder was able to redirect it with his head and into the net behind Julio Cesar with the second touch.

Five minutes after the Netherlands took the lead, Melo was sent off with a red card for a blatant trip . Just like that, 15 minutes of match time, a lead squandered, the team sent down to 10 men, and a one goal deficit as the clock continued to tick away. It's certainly not how Brazil envisioned the second half playing out in their match against the Netherlands, especially not after their dominant first.

For the Netherlands, the team must now have the confidence and momentum to believe they can win the entire tournament. They are riding a five game World Cup winning streak, a nine game international winning streak and a 24 match unbeaten streak. The number 4 team in the world heading into the World Cup according to the last FIFA rankings, their success thus far is certainly not a surprise, even if the way the Brazil vs. Netherlands Quarterfinals match played out was.