Ruud van Nistelrooy struck twice to lead the Netherlands to an emphatic 3-0 win over Latvia that sent them into the Euro 2004 football quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Van Nistelrooy enabled the Dutch to take complete control of the match with two first-half goals, and substitute Roy Makaay added a third six minutes from time to leave the Netherlands as Group D runners-up behind the Czech Republic.
Germany lost 2-1 to the Czechs to finish third.
The Dutch, who took only one point from their opening two games against Germany and the Czechs, play Sweden in the last eight on Saturday.
Van Nistelrooy broke the deadlock after 27 minutes when he sent goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko the wrong way from the penalty spot after referee Kim Milton Nielsen decided Latvian skipper Vitalijs Astafjevs had tripped Edgar Davids in the box.
Van Nistelrooy made it 2-0 after 35 minutes when a Clarence Seedorf free kick eluded the keeper and was headed back from beyond the far post by Philip Cocu for the forward to nod down over the line from close range. He joined England's Wayne Rooney at the top of the tournament's scoring chart with four goals.
Van Nistelrooy should have completed his hat-trick after 41 minutes when he blasted a fierce volley straight at Kolinko when it seemed a goal was certain.
The Dutch, needing a win to retain any hope of progressing to the last eight, were forced to make two changes.
Michael Reiziger came in for the suspended Johnny Heitinga, sent off against the Czechs, in defence, while Frank de Boer took the place of the injured Wilfred Bouma to extend his record appearance tally for his country to 111.
But the Latvians rarely troubled the Dutch back line apart from sporadic, but largely ineffective raids during the early part of the second half.
Instead the Dutch spent most of the time in the Latvian half of the field and only inspired goalkeeping from Kolinko and desperate tackling from Latvia's over-worked defenders kept the score down.
Winger Arjen Robben was again an inspiration on the right for Netherlands, while Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield quickly established control which they never relinquished.
Latvia, who narrowly lost 2-1 to the Czechs in their opening game and held Germany to a 0-0 draw in their second, also came into the match looking for an unlikely place in the last eight, but were never remotely close to achieving it.
Teams:
Netherlands (4-3-3): 1-Edwin van der Sar; 2-Michael Reiziger, 15-Frank de Boer, 3-Jaap Stam, 5-Giovanni van Bronckhorst; 20-Clarence Seedorf, 8-Edgar Davids (14-Wesley Sneijder 77), 6-Philip Cocu; 7-Andy van der Meyde (16-Marc Overmars 63), 10-Ruud van Nistelrooy (12-Roy Makaay 70), 19-Arjen Robben
Latvia (4-4-2): 1-Aleksandrs Kolinko; 7-Aleksandrs Isakovs, 2-Igors Stepanovs, 4-Mihails Zemlinskis, 6-Olegs Blagonadezdins; 8-Imants Bleidelis (19-Andrejs Stolcers 83), 14-Valentins Lobanovs, 3-Vitalijs Astafjevs, 10-Andrejs Rubins; 11-Andrejs Prohorenkovs (5-Juris Laizans 74), 9-Maris Verpakovskis (17-Marian Pahars 62)
Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)
Linesmen: Lens Larsen (Denmark), Jorgen Jepsen (Denmark).
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