Eight-goal Oranje dent Hungary hopes

The Netherlands may have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil^TM last month, but that did not stop them having an impact on the fight for the play-off spot in Group D as they drubbed Hungary 8-1 in Amsterdam.

Hungary started the night in second but ended it wounded and behind Turkey and Romania as the Oranje turned on the style on a night of celebration in the Dutch capital.

Playing like this, Louis Van Gaal's team will inevitably be installed as a short price to win in Brazil and more displays like this will be welcomed.

Robin Van Persie - unusually short on goals for Manchester United - led the way with a hat-trick, with Kevin Strootman, Jermain Lens, Rafael Van der Vaart, Arjen Robben and a Szilard Devecseri own goal all contributing. Hungary's response was a penalty from Balazs Dzsudzsak and they look to have squandered their chances.

It was a thrilling show from the Netherlands, in keeping with most of the ones they have produced throughout a dominant qualifying campaign.

Two minutes had gone when they fashioned their first chance, with Jeffrey Bruma's header hacked clear by Vilmos Vanczak. Van Persie then tried his luck from distance, but found the same player in the way, before the striker did score with 16 minutes on the clock.

Darryl Janmaat's cross picked him out and, although his contact was not clean - perhaps off his shoulder - it was good enough to leave Adam Bogdan without a chance. Lens looked to make it two but hit over, although he made just as valid a contribution with 21 minutes gone as he crossed for Strootman, with the in-form Roma midfielder doing the rest from six yards.

Lens would get his goal, though, cracking in from the edge of the box with eight minutes to go until the break.

Hungary's seeming lack of interest in putting up a fight was apparent and the hosts quickly hit the post twice, as both Janmaat and Strootman were denied a fourth.

But the Netherlands were cutting through so easily that the inevitable fourth arrived before the break. Robben, surprisingly marginalised at that point, chimed in to cross for Van Persie who did the rest with his head.

It had been a truly woeful opening 45 minutes from Hungary and the soul-searching which will have taken place at the break bore fruit as they responded two minutes after the resumption. Bruma handled in the box and Dzsudzsak stepped up to convert and at least get his side on the score-sheet.

It was the briefest of responses, though. Van Persie snaffled his hat-trick with a 52nd-minute finish off another Robben cross, and if Hungary were not up against it enough, Devecseri put through his own goal just after the hour off a Lens centre.

Van der Vaart then rapped one in from 25 yards for good measure as Hungary waited for the final whistle, which eventually came, but not before Robben had rippled the net with a 20-yard free-kick.

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