#2 Jack van Gelder – Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands) vs Argentina – Quarter-final 1998 World Cup
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It was a tense match at the 1998 World Cup which saw the much-touted attack of the Netherlands vs the ferocious defence of Argentina. Patrick Kluivert gave the lead to the Dutch in the 12th minute. The joy was short lived as Carlos Lopez equalised through a Juan Sebastian Veron assist in the 17th minute.
Artur Numan was sent off for the Dutch in the 76th minute and after that, Argentina knew they had a real chance of winning the game. Ariel Ortega almost went through on the Dutch goal when he came up against Jaap Stam but he could not get past the defender. The Argentine fell to the ground but the referee wasn’t having any of it. The Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van Der Sar game Ortega an earful for diving. Argentina were also reduced to 10-men as Ortega was sent off in the 87th minute of the game.
The game that followed was a nervy affair for both. It was the 89th minute of a fiercely contested World Cup quarter-final. Dennis Bergkamp brought down a 50-yard pass from Frank de Boer like Po from Kung Fu Panda catching that fireball.
He then rounded an Argentine defender and fired the ball past the keeper and into the net. This led to van Gelder shout ‘Dennis Bergkamp….Dennis Bergkamp’. Just before the goal happened, the commentator was screaming out in delight, even before the goal went in. When the ball did hit the back of the net, things went up a notch.
Dennis Bergkamp was known for his first touch and the way he brought down the ball and scored is commendable. This is considered as one of the greatest goals scored in the history of the World Cup and certainly, the commentator made it a moment to remember.
Full-time score – Netherlands 2-1 Argentina
