DANIEL MAURER / AP

OVERJOYED >>>> Dutch players Mark van Bommel and Khalid Boulahrouz celebrate at the end of the Netherlands v Ivory Coast match at Stuttgart's Gottlieb-Daimler stadium.

Web Exclusive | The World Cup | Netherlands v Côte D'Ivoire Orange Overload Isn't Enough to Stop The Dutch Ivorians give Netherlands a run for their money, but it doesn't keep Van Basten's men out of second round By BRUCE CRUMLEY subscribe to TIME Printable Version email this story Blog: Taking Advantage of Poor Refereeing

Posted Friday, June 16, 2006; 21.42BST
As a life-long fan of the San Francisco Giants baseball team, I've earned the right to ask this agonized question: just how much electric orange can people take before permanent eye damage is sustained? As anyone within squinting distance of Stuttgart these days knows, the answer to that is "a real, real lot". The reason: Group C match pitting the Netherlands against the Ivory Coast — two nations whose fans absolutely radiate the orange of their teams' uniforms whenever international matches roll around.

This week was no exception, though it was unique in brining tens of thousands of fans from both sides together en masse in glowing the same hue in the same place. And it may take weeks for the eyes of Stuttgart residents to get over it all. And those who witnessed the almost unbroken crush of orange in the Gottlien-Daimler-Stadion may never quite see quite right again.

As they always do, the Dutch turned out in massive, orange numbers; as loud, raucous, and beer-guzzling as England supporters (Europe's other standard of deeply rooted, strongly-demonstrated fan culture in football), but without that element lingering under the surface that can errupt in violence unexpectedly. Decked out alternatively in orange team jerseys, T-shirts, shorts, overalls, wigs, hats, shoes, clogs, or (as one happy Hollander spotted, adult diapers), swarms of ear-splitting Netherlands fans may well corner and surround smaller groups of rival supporters — but usually in order to sing at them. And that's exactly what happened to many who came to Stuttgart also wearing orange to back their Ivory Coast side, only to find their colors squatter by inestimably larger numbers of Dutch fanatics who'd amassed around them chanting.

"They stole our uniform colors, and now they're stealing our country!" shouted an Ivoirian named Pascal Antoine, who said he'd come from the Ivory Coast with two of the other 50-ish men surrounded by Dutch fans. "Well they won't be singing about the Ivory Coast when the Elephants beat them. Crying — that's what they'll be doing!"

Several hours and two goals later, the Dutch weren't crying, but the run for their money the Ivorians gave them probably made them whimper some. Despite the Dutch dominating the first 15 minutes of the match, they found themselves defending their own half of the pitch for most of the rest of the half. Only two rather striking exhibitions of Ivoirian indiscipline created the opportunities the Dutch scored their two goals on: one dumb foul setting up a magnificent and mighty free kick from just outside the penalty area by Robin van Persie; the other, with Ruud van Nistelrooij (returning from offsides) to take a pass (anew offsides) as Ivorian defenders rushed towards the center of the pitch — leaving him massively uncovered

Cristof Stache / ap MASK >>>> A Dutch supporter puts on a brave face

Down two before the 30 minute mark, however, the Ivorians did anything but gave up. With relatively short spates of counter-offensives, the Dutch spent most of the rest of the game seeking to keep up with lighting fast and powerful Ivoirians — who also disproved any notions about African football needing any technical lessons from Europe. And ironically, it wasn't even the Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba who repeatedly left Dutch opponents out-manoeuvred, placed aside, and struggling to catch up. Instead they were the pocket-sized AGCE Nice attacker, Bakary Koné (scorer of the CIV's only goal), PSV Eindhoven striker Arouna Kane, and even Strasbourg defender Arthur Boka who left the Dutch frequently stunned.

So much so, that while the lovers of orange couldn't have come away feeling like their team had stolen the three points, the relief of having escaped an Ivoirian equalizer — or worse — was so great that members of the Dutch squad took a tour of honor around the pitch after the match. The 30,000-odd Netherlands fans present didn't seem to mind — though it's a fair bet later in the evening back in town, they were giving fans of the Ivory Coast a lot more respect than friendly razzing.

The result sets up a Group C showdown between the Dutch and Argentina, who now look awesome following their powerful 6-0 dismemberment of Serbia Montenegro. Watch that match: the winner will be the smart bettor's favorite to go all the way to the final, and quite well take home the Cup.

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