Van Gaal led Oranje's revenge in style

It's only the second day of the World Cup and surprises are in no short supply. The Japanese referee's decision was surprising; the weather deteriorated surprisingly quickly, and the encore of last final turned out to be a surprisingly one-sided game.

The flying Van Persie

The shock does not only originate from the final score, but also how Louis Van Gaal constructed the victory which, on paper, is near to impossible. None of the starting five defenders were featured in the 2010 World Cup and only Ron Vlaar has major tournament experience. Their three goalkeepers have a combined 27 caps, one-sixth of the caps Iker Casillas solely owns.

Who would have predicted that Netherlands would manage to keep Spain in check, while the experienced Casillas endured an embarrassing night?

Vincent Del Bosque wouldn't be complacent against Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben, but might have thought his side would have no trouble to score against Netherlands. In truth, flaws were exposed among Oranje's three centrebacks, with a true no.9 Diego Costa's presence open up space for David Silva and Andres Iniesta to threaten the final third.

Silva's miss proved to be costly

If Van Persie and Robben are credited for driving the win with some world class quality goals, young goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen also played a key part in the comeback victory. His save had prevented Silva from opening up a two-goal load in first half and kept Netherlands' hope alive.

But how did Netherlands fire five goals past Iker Casillas? On one hand, La Roja had themselves to blame, fielding Casillas and Pique who both finished the season on a low with dipping form. It might be a bit risky to play Napoli duo Raul Albiol and Pepe Reina, but the risk all starts from Del Bosque's unwillingness to experiment prior to the tournament.

On the other hand, Van Gaal had a gameplan and ordered his players to execute it perfectly. Rather than attempting to better the midfield of Spain, diagonal crosses were the main weapon Van Gaal used to unlock the Spain defence. Although looking fruitless and unconvincing at the start, Netherlands began to find the way and was only stopped by some well-timed offside trap. The intelligence of Van Persie and Robben in timing their runs was well-rewarded by accurate passes by Daley Blind, the highly-rated full back which is monitored by Manchester United. There were still a lot to do to put the ball behind Casillas, but the tactics to expose Spain's high line and the enormous room between Pique and Sergio Ramos was the key to success.

catch me if you can!

Daley Blind's exceptional performance meant Cesar Azpilicueta had to focus on defence, which in turn limited the width of Spain's attack, which is highly reliant on flying fullbacks. Fitness of Xavi and Xabi Alonso under the extreme weather was also questionable, as Netherlands did not have to work ultra hard to contain the playmakers, and Spain only got more sluggish as time went on.

The idea of slotting Pedro in was correct, but a controversial goal, also some poor marking, and Casillas' mistake killed off Spain's hope. Del Bosque's refusal to limit the damage granted Robben the room to humiliate Sergio Ramos and Casillas further.

How far can they go?

 Compared to recent tournaments when Netherlands overloaded themselves with attackers, Van Gaal builds the team around Sneijder, Robben and Van Persie, and when the trio understands and enjoys their role, they deliver. Van Gaal's squad selection, judged by players' form and functionality over fame, is well justified so far. Their shortage of experience might be a disadvantage in later stage of tournament, if they advance that far, but this Oranje is so refreshing and promising, which not only reminds the Dutch the Golden Age of Ajax football, also led by Van Gaal, but also sadden the supporters to see the legendary manager leave the post in a month time.