Johannesburg, 2010 then. . . Salvador, 2014 now. Four long years the Dutch waited for revenge against the Spanish team which prevented them from winning their first ever World Cup, and the hunger showed in a brutal second half which saw La Roja simply outclassed.
The first 45 minutes was a half of offsides with Holland's main strategy going forward being attempting to thread the ball behind Spain's back four and attacking the space.
Fouls were aplenty as the Dutch were inevitably caught short-handed on occasion; all the best teams do when facing the La Roja.
Spain did as Spain does – control possession with effortless ball movement, their first goal coming from a penalty converted by Xabi Alonso.
Stephen De Vrij was adjudged to have tripped Diego Costa in the box, which would be the most distinguishable thing the Brazilian-born forward did in an otherwise ineffectual first half.
The Dutch increased the tempo, Nigel De Jong commanding the midfield three which patrolled in front of a tight back five.
Their tactics paid off eventually; Daley Blind with a brilliant ball behind Sergio Ramos to the onrushing Robin Van Persie, played onside by Gerard Pique being too far back from his defensive line.
Van Persie finished brilliantly, a looping header over a hapless Iker Casillas to equalise for the Dutch. The love-in was in full bloom – Van Persie steaming back to celebrate with coach Louis Van Gaal is something all Manchester United fans want to see.
The second half was a complete evisceration of the Spaniards by an incisive Oranje, that would probably have surprised even their staunchest supporters in a game against the current world and European champions.
The Dutch completed a stunning comeback through Arjen Robben. Sneijder played it wide to Daley Blind who once again delivered a wonderful ball over a slow reacting Gerard Pique.
It was an immaculate first touch by Robben, who cut inside past Pique and fired it home, the ball deflecting off Sergio Ramos and flying past a despairing Casillas.
A lack of energy and freshness was clear with the Spaniards, Diego Costa failing to mesh with David Silva and Andres Iniesta up front.
You could see which way the game was headed when a great run by Robben right through the Spanish midfield ended up at the feet of Van Persie whose half volley crashed against the crossbar.
Just past the hour mark, Diego Costa's unhappy homecoming was over as Vicente Del Bosque brought on Fernando Torres to play centre-forward.
Spain's goal-scorer Xabi Alonso was replaced by Pedro, a curious decision as Barcelona counterpart Xavi had been anonymous all evening. This substitution would cost Spain dearly, their midfield spread too thin with Busquets now almost over-run and overwhelmed in the middle.
The nail in the coffin came courtesy of De Vrij in a peculiar fashion. A free kick whipped in by Wesley Sneijder going over an impeded Casillas, reaching the far post where De Vrij got a slight header in that simply had the ball then bounce off his leg and roll in.
Zonal marking coming undone, Del Bosque must be asking his players as to how Netherlands had three players attacking the ball against a lone Casillas, who was booked for remonstrating with the referee despite being fouled by Van Persie.
The Dutch, now two goals ahead with less than half an hour to go, egged Spain on as tempers flared with Van Persie booked for two successive cynical tackles on Pedro Rodriguez.
David Silva turned in Pedro's header but it was rightfully denied for offside, Spain trying desperately to find a way back in the game.
With over an hour gone in Salvador, Spain had conceded more goals than the entirety of their 2010 World Cup-winning campaign. Actually, it equalled the number of goals conceded in South Africa and the 2012 European Championship put together.
Ten minutes later the Spanish humiliation was complete, as talisman Casillas committed a ghastly error, his first weak touch allowing Van Persie to strip him of the ball and slot home. Spanish captain, legend, World and European Champion Saint Iker was shaken – La Roja put to the sword with unnerving efficiency.
Not 10 minutes later, the knife was twisted further. A cutting pass by Sneijder from deep within his own half set Arjen Robben off to the races against Sergio Ramos. There was only ever one winner, Robben juking past Casillas, cutting inside and firing home for Holland's fifth goal of the night.
The ghosts of Johannesburg were well and truly put to rest for the Oranje.
What we witnessed was a team broken, outclassed in every aspect on the pitch and lacking any inkling of an alternate plan when attacking.
Xavi can no longer coast through matches at this level, his inability to chase down players and restrict space at a high intensity saw the game pass him by (his defensive weaknesses exposed even more with the loss of pace which inevitably comes with age), and Del Bosque's refusal to substitute him forcing Sergio Busquets into an untenable situation.
Diego Costa, be it lacking fitness or being injured, simply looked incompatible with the Spanish style of play.
Fernando Torres came on and attempted to win a penalty in his hollow 15-minute stint, failing to make an attempt on goal when given a glorious opportunity to cut the deficit, attempting a pullback onto his strong foot.
All the while, Spain's all time highest goal-scorer David Villa sat on the bench with a grimace.
Andres Iniesta failed to go past a player in the attacking third all evening. . . when you are a player who relies on quick, short bursts of pace coupled with trickery on the ball, losing your burst of pace can dramatically affect your playing style.
What we witnessed today was the Barcelona malaise, a failure to instill a sense of urgency to back up the periods of possession.
We have talked at length about the Spanish backbone lacking a certain freshness, and they were lucky not to concede a sixth and seventh as Casillas earned back some semblance of honour, pulling off two stunning stops which would be more appreciated had the match not turned into a cricket score.
There are no positives the Spaniards can take away from this match, other than the fact that there will be no better opportunity to tinker with the starting line-up.
Cesc Fabregas and Pedro must start and the decision to leave Jesus Navas in Manchester and Fernando Llorentet in Turin looks more questionable as time goes by.
As much as he is adored back home and by the players too, Del Bosque has many questions to answer as he prepares for Chile in what will surely be a do-or-die match for La Roja next week. – June 14, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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