WC Soccer Odds: The Dutch advance to finals

Scoring three goals in a World Cup game is about as rare as the Detroit Lions winning an NFL football game. But the Dutch turned the trick Tuesday by defeating Uruguay 3-2 as 150 favorites. The combined five goals soared ‘over' the two-goal closing total.

There were also quite a few proposition wagers posted on the match at Stations Casinos in Las Vegas. One such proposition was to select the exact final score, with 17 possibilities offered. The Netherlands winning by a 3-2 score paid off at a handsome 25/1.

The Dutch, the only team with a perfect record in this tournament, now advance to the FIFA World Cup soccer finals against the winner of Wednesday's match between Spain and Germany. The match will be played Sunday at the cooking pot-shaped Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.

The Netherlands, which lost in the 1974 and '78 finals, was appearing in the World Cup semifinals for the first time since losing on penalties to Brazil in 1998. It was Uruguay's first appearance in the final four since 1970.

Wesley Sneijder scored in the 70th minute for his fifth goal of the tournament and Arjen Robben followed with his second. Dutch captain Giovanni Van Bronckhorst also scored for the winners.

Maxi Pereira scored two minutes into stoppage time for Uruguay, which got its other goal from Diego Forlan

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk replaced Demy De Zeeuw with Rafael van der Vaart at halftime and the attacking move paid off as Sneijder and Robben scored after the break.

De Zeeuw damaged his teeth when Martin Caceras kicked him in the face attempting an overhead shot in the first half. De Zeeuw was flying back to Johannesburg with the squad and team officials said he would likely have to visit a hospital to have his teeth stabilized. However, he had not sustained a concussion.

De Zeeuw is unlikely to be in the starting lineup for the final as the suspended Nigel de Jong will be available again.Get real time odds

Van Bronckhorst's goal was the most spectacular. After 18 minutes of sparring and cautious soccer, he booted the ball into the top corner of Uruguay's net from about 36 yards out at about 67 miles per hour.

For Van Bronckhorst, who is ending his playing career after the World Cup, it was his first goal of the tournament and only the sixth of his 105-match international career.

Though the Dutch have reached the final match, they have not played the prettiest brand of soccer. However, they defend well and score just enough to win. The Dutch have captured all six of their matches in South Africa. However, like the Spanish, they have yet to win a World Cup.

The Netherlands' only international title occurred at the 1988 European Championship, but it is now on a 25-match unbeaten run and has won 10 in a row as it heads to a World Cup final.