Brazil 0-3 Holland: World Cup 2014 hosts finish on losing note as Robin van Persie strikes and Dutch secure third place

Louis van Gaal will arrive in Manchester next week as a winner after heaping more misery on Brazil’s wretched World Cup campaign.

Van Gaal is set to be unveiled at Old Trafford on Thursday with his reputation enhanced from a rewarding month in South America that saw Holland qualify from the Group of Death and last night complete an impressive third-place finish.

For Brazil, while they weren’t thrashed quite as badly as they had been against Germany in Tuesday night’s historic semi-final, a second successive heavy defeat on home soil was a devastating end to a campaign which promised so much.

Celebration: Holland players show off their medals after beating Brazil in third place play-off

Winner: Holland coach Louis van Gaal receives medal from FIFA president Sepp Blatter

Dream start: Holland's Robin van Persie scores from the spot against Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar

MATCH FACTS

Brazil: Cesar 6, Maicon 6, Luiz 5, Thiago Silva 6, Maxwell 6; Gustavo 5 (Fernandinho 45 6), Ramires 6 (Hulk 70 5), Paulinho 5 (Hernanes 57 6); Oscar 7, Willian 6; Jo 5.
Booked: Thiago Silva, Oscar
Manager: Felipe Scolari 5
Holland: Cillessen 7 (Vorm 90); de Vrij 7, Vlaar 7, Martins Indi 6; Kuyt 6, Wijnaldum 7, Clasie 6 (Veltman 90), de Guzman 6, Blind 7 (Janmaat 70 7); van Persie 6, Robben 8.
Booked: Robben, de Guzman.
Goals: Van Persie 3, Blind 17, Wijnaldum 90
Manager: Louis van Gaal 7
Ref: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria) 7
Att: 68,034

Manager Felipe Scolari, a World Cup winner in 2002, surely won’t be able to survive this.

He’s been accused by 200 million people of picking the wrong players and choosing the wrong tactics. On last night’s evidence in Brasilia, they aren’t all be wrong.

Holland carried on where Germany left off with two goals in the opening 17 minutes – both the result of blunders from Brazilian centre-backs Thiago Silva and David Luiz.

The South Americans huffed and puffed after that without ever suggesting they had the quality to launch a fightback and Georgino Wijnaldum completed the humiliation in injury-time.

Scolari made six changes from the team humiliated by Germany for a third-place play-off which for once carried some meaning.

Van Gaal stuck with his big guns Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie though Wesley Sneijder didn’t last beyond the warm-up after tweaking a hamstring and had to be replaced by Jonathan de Guzman of Swansea City.

Cracker: Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar fails to save penalty from Robin van Persie in third minute

Joy: Robin van Persie celebrates with team-mate Dirk Kuyt (up) after scoring the opening goal

Any hope among supporters in Brazil’s capital city that their team could restore national pride after the infamous 7-1 beating by Germany lasted less than three minutes.

Silva, who missed the semi-final debacle through suspension, wasn’t strong enough to stop van Persie from turning midway in the Brazilian half and releasing Robben.

As the Bayern forward sped towards the penalty area, Silva gave a despairing tug at the back of his shirt. The connection probably happened just outside the penalty area but Robben fell inside, and referee Djamel Halmoudi awarded a penalty that van Persie converted high and hard.

Clinical: Holland defender Daley Blind lashes the ball into the net for second goal against Brazil

The only consolation for Brazil was that Silva escaped with just a yellow card when he’d clearly denied Robben a goalscoring opportunity.

By 17 minutes, Brazil had conceded again leading to fears of another humiliating drubbing.

Luiz was again the fall-guy, heading a clearance straight to Daley Blind who had time to take two touches to control the ball with his left foot and then dispatch a finish with his right into the roof of the net past Julio Cesar.

All together now: Daley Blind (second left) celebrates scoring Holland's second goal against Brazil

Brazil looked shellshocked but while Germany were hungry for more goals on Tuesday night, the Dutch were happy to sit back until they got opportunities to hit the hosts on the counter-attack.

Oscar started to see more of the ball and was unlucky that his whipped-in free-kick didn’t get a decisive touch off Chelsea team-mate Willian or Jo.

One solo run and shot by Oscar was saved by Jasper Cillessen – Brazil’s only effort on target in the entire first half.

Blow: Holland defender Daley Blind was injured in challenge on Brazil's Oscar (left)

Even in low gear, Holland seemed more likely to score. Van Persie had a low shot saved by Julio Cesar and when the Dutch broke, they met little resistance from a woeful Brazilian midfield.

Scolari, whose job looks certain end sooner rather than later, made a change at the interval with Manchester City’s Fernandinho replacing Luis Gustavo.

Gustavo’s only contribution of the opening 45 minutes had been to leave Dirk Kuyt with a nasty gash on the back of his head with a wayward arm.

Agony: Injured defender Daley Blind is carried off on a stretcher

But it didn’t improve much for Brazil after half-time. The harder poor Luiz tried, the worse it got for him as he gave the ball away with regularity.

The scorer of an incredible free-kick against Colombia couldn’t beat Cillessen with a relatively tame effort when given a shooting chance from 25 yards.

Jose Mourinho must be thinking he’s a genius for selling the shaggy-haired defender for £40million before the World Cup.

Clincher: Holland midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum seals victory with injury-time strike

His former Chelsea team-mate Oscar didn’t fare much better. He was booked for diving when he ran into Blind and then somersaulted in the air looking for a penalty. Poor Blind had to be carried off with a hurt knee as a result of the coming-together and Daryl Janmaat replaced him for the last 20 minutes.

By the time Scolari introduced Hulk for the latter stages, you knew he and the entire nation were desperate.

It was no surprise when the muscular forward got himself into a good shooting position and then took a wild swipe at the ball to send it wide.

Clincher: Holland midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum seals victory with injury-time strike

Van Gaal was angry that Robben – who admitted diving earlier in the tournament – had two decent penalty appeals turned down.

But ultimately, it didn’t matter. In fact, Janmaat crossed for Wijaldum to make it 3-0 and van Gaal was able to send on third-choice goalkeeper Michel Vorm to ensure all 23 of his players in Brazil had tasted some action - a nice touch.

The contrast between the relaxed way Holland’s players found space and knocked the ball around compared to the hypertension in Brazil’s game was evident.

If van Gaal can replicate it at Old Trafford, the fallen champions will be more than happy.