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Holland made a key change for the Peru game,
basically bringing in the full-back Jan Poortvliet instead of striker Johnny Rep.
Poortvliet's inclusion gave the defence
a more traditional look, the orthodox "back four" of yesteryear,
while Arie Haan, a very successful stopgap defender himself in 1974,
moved up from midfield to replace Rep in the attack,
which meant the whole team had a shape more akin to the 1974 side, on paper at least.
They didn't change their kit, though, all orange it was again.
Line-up against Peru -
again, my apologies for the photo.
Krol, Jongbloed, Rijsbergen, Suurbier, Jansen, Poortvliet,
René van de Kerkhof, Willy van de Kerkhof, Haan,
Rensenbrink, Neeskens, and that mascot again.
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Peru featured the World Cup's least likely star in goalkeeper Ramón Quiroga,
later to go down in history for being cautioned while in the other team's half.
Their ageing but talented team had already astonished the world once
with their humiliation of Scotland in the opening game,
and it must have occurred to both sides that this was a match between the two likely
qualifiers from the group.
The only shot of note in the first half was a long-range free-kick
from Rensenbrink, which was fumbled out for a corner by Quiroga.
René van de Kerkhof, on one of his lengthy runs down the right,
was crisply decked by left-back Toribio Diaz.
Though he did manage another long distance effort, which was saved by Quiroga,
Van de Kerkhof was not to reappear for the second period.
Rensenbrink headed another clear-cut chance over the bar in the second half,
then had another shot saved by Quiroga after substitute Rep had crossed from the right
and Neeskens had headed down to set up the chance.
Regretfully, this was to be Neeskens's last contribution to the game,
and he was replaced by the increasingly famous Dick Nanninga.
