Van Persie double sends Netherlands to 2014 Brazil World Cup

Forward Robin Van Persie scored twice to help Netherlands qualify for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with a 2-0 away win over Andorra in Group D on Tuesday.

According to Sport24, Van Persie's stinging shot from outside the area in the 49th minute opened the scoring for the Dutch, the first team from Europe to book a place at next year's finals, and four minutes later he scored with a tap-in after a defensive blunder.

The win in Andorra-la-Velle against a defensive home side put the Netherlands on 22 points and beyond the reach of their group rivals after Romania earlier lost 2-0 at home to Turkey, the report said.

 

It is the 10th time the Netherlands have qualified for the World Cup finals, the report added.

They were runners-up in 1974, 1978 and at the last tournament in South Africa in 2010, the report further said.