With a miraculous reflex, goalkeeper Tim Krul saved the day for Holland during Saturday’s friendly against Brazil. Making his debut among Oranje’s big stars, the 23-year-old Newcastle player didn’t concede in a game that ended goalless in Goiânia. Now, he’s in Uruguay for the second and final leg of Holland’s Latin America tour.

Back on the training pitch, Krul admitted to feeling slightly nervous at the start of the game. His sublime second-half stop of a subtle Neymar chip came at the right time, he says.

“It was a great boost to my confidence, did me a world of good. I mean for a goalkeeper it’s always good to get into the game slowly and such a save always helps.”

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Delighted
Krul told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that the ten-day transatlantic tour with the national team is “a dream come true”.

“I mean the game itself, playing away against Brazil. And then keeping a clean sheet, it’s something you can’t even hope for. And it’s all come true.”

What looked like a holiday trip turned out to be one of the highlights of Krul’s season.

“It’s one of the highlights of my career, of my life! I only joined the team last week and never really expected to make my debut. Of course, the number one [Michel Vorm, ed] broke two little bones in his hand last week and that’s why I made my debut on Saturday.”

Tough opponents
It was a tricky match, says Krul, with Brazil gearing up for next month’s Copa América and Holland playing the last two matches of the season. “We knew it wasn’t going to be a real friendly, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Wednesday’s encounter in Uruguay will be tricky too, for the same reason. Like Brazil on Saturday, La Celeste will be seeking revenge for last year’s defeat in the final stages of the World Cup. Uruguay were beaten 3-2 in the semi-finals.

The Dutch will be the first European national side to face Uruguay in Montevideo for twenty years. The home team wouldn’t like to disappoint their fans.

Holland, on the other hand, are keen to continue their unbeaten run after the 2010 World Cup.

“We‘ve got a great team and we always expect to put on a good performance. So hopefully we’ll win the game and finish this season on a high.”