There's a big storm outside, with heavy rain and high winds. But nobody cares, because against most people's expectations, the Netherlands have made it to the quarter finals of the European Championships. The final group match with Latvia was always going to be the easiest of the three, but remember that they had got just one point out of six, after the shock defeat by the Czech Republic at the weekend. The Netherlands scored three against Latvia, but it could and should have been a lot more. This was the most one-sided game I've seen in the tournament.

But was it a shock defeat against the Czech Republic? Because in the other game, that was vital to decide who would go through in second place, the Czechs beat the Germans 2-1. That means the Czechs take maximum points from their three matches, the Germans just two, and the Dutch team go through on four points. If the Germans had beaten the Czechs, they would have gone through instead. Latvia ended up with just one point, but they had their moments and will have gained a lot of useful experience playing against three of the big teams in Europe.

So the Dutch go marching on, and their quarter final will be against Sweden, whom they should beat comfortably. Just four nights ago, it was all doom and gloom. It shows in a nutshell just why football is such a fascinating and often unpredictable game. But the Dutch should not get too carried away. There are clearly, once again, fundamental problems of team spirit and a lack of respect for the coach, who I expect to resign after Euro 2004 even if Holland win it. But just for the moment, my Dutch friends can smile broadly because, despite drawing their opening game with Germany 1-1, they're still in Euro 2004 and the Germans aren't. And that, as any Dutch person will tell you, is almost as good as winning the competition itself!

10:58:41 PM