A humiliated Brazil and downhearted Netherlands challenge each other for the third place at the World Cup on Saturday in a match that will be quickly forgotten.
The third-place match at the Mane Garincha National Stadium in Brasilia is part of the build-up to Sunday’s final between Germany and Argentina in Rio de Janeiro.
“We will be up against opponents of great quality who are only here because they missed penalties. Their team is much the same as that which beat us four years ago.”
The Netherlands beat Brazil 2-1 in the 2010 quarter-finals with a line-up containing five players who also started against Argentina on Wednesday.
While van Gaal bows out, this could also be the last World Cup apearance for Holland’s star trio of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, who will all be well into their 30s when the next tournament starts in Russia in 2018.
The Dutch were desperately disappointed after holding out Lionel Messi for 120 minutes in a goalless semi-final in Sao Paulo and then losing 4-2 on penalties.
Van Gaal at first said the third-place match should “never be played”, but he changed his version on Friday to say: “We are going to do everything to finish third.
“We want to leave the World Cup unbeaten, something a Dutch side has never achieved.
