Ruud admits Oranje surprise
13 Jun 2008 - 09:41:39
Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted the Netherlands' stunning opening 3-0 win over world champions Italy exceeded even their own expectations.
The Real Madrid striker scored the first goal in the comfortable victory over the current World Cup holders in Bern on Monday and has admitted he had to pinch himself at the final scoreline as the Oranje ran riot.
The Dutch would all but confirm their qualification to the knock-out stages with a win over France in another mouth-watering Group C clash on Friday evening.
"We went into that match not really knowing our own strength," admitted van Nistelrooy.
"The Italy game was always going to be a test of how far we'd come and it turned out to be above expectations.
"But it was also a deserved win looking back at how we played and for me, it was a great start to score in the first match.
"That gives me confidence for the rest of the tournament. It was fantastic to unload all the emotions afterwards.
"We hope to reach the next stage but that's still so far away, we aren't even thinking about it. We will take each match as it comes."