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Attendance: 68,034
Brazil national football team
World Cup | Third-Place Match
Jul 12, 2014 at 9pm UK
 
Netherlands national football team

0-3

FT(HT: 0-2)
Van Persie (3' pen.), Blind (17'), Wijnaldum (90+1')

Louis van Gaal slams 'pointless' third-place playoff

Louis van Gaal slams the redundant nature of the World Cup third-place playoff ahead of the Netherlands' clash with Brazil.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has criticised FIFA for continuing to employ a third-place playoff at the World Cup, claiming that it is a needless exercise.

After suffering semi-final heartbreak by losing to Argentina in a penalty shootout on Wednesday, Van Gaal's side now gear up to take on Brazil to determine who finishes third.

The Dutch have one day fewer recovery time than the Selecao for Saturday's clash in Brasilia, and the 62-year-old has slammed the redundant nature of such a fixture.

"I think this match should never be played and I've been saying this for 10 years," he told reporters. "It is unfair we have one day less to recover than our opponent, so that is not fair play either.

"And, in a tournament in which you've played so marvellously well, you would go home as a loser just because you could possibly have lost the last two matches, and this has got nothing to do with sports in my view.

"So in a football tournament, particularly not at the last stage, you shouldn't have players playing a match for third-fourth place. Because there is only one award that counts and that is becoming world champion."

Saturday's encounter kicks off at 9pm.

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Hector Herrera of Mexico goes for a header against Stefan de Vrij (L) and Ron Vlaar of the Netherlands during the 2014 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match in Fortaleza on June 29, 2014
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Netherlands Netherlands32107
Q Senegal flag Senegal32016
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador31114
4 Qatar Qatar30030

Group B

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Q England flag England32107
Q United States USA31205
3 Iran Iran31023
4 Wales flag Wales30121

Group C

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Q Argentina Argentina32016
Q Poland Poland31114
3 Mexico Mexico31114
4 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia31023

Group D

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Q France France32016
Q Australia Australia32016
3 Tunisia Tunisia31114
4 Denmark Denmark30121

Group E

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Q Japan Japan32016
Q Spain Spain31114
3 Germany Germany31114
4 Costa Rica flag Costa Rica31023

Group F

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Q Morocco Morocco32107
Q Croatia Croatia31205
3 Belgium Belgium31114
4 Canada Canada30030

Group G

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Q Brazil Brazil32016
Q Switzerland Switzerland32016
3 Cameroon flag Cameroon31114
4 Serbia Serbia30121

Group H

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Republic of Korea South Korea31114
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay31114
4 Ghana flag Ghana31023


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