Deadly Dutch turn on style to thump France

By Mike Collett

BERNE (Reuters) - The dazzling Dutch qualified for the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 with a 4-1 destruction of France that left the World Cup runners-up hovering over the tournament trapdoor on Friday.

Four days after crushing world champions Italy 3-0, Marco van Basten's side ripped the French apart with another superb performance based on their counter-attacking game.

Dirk Kuyt, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder scored for Netherlands, with Thierry Henry replying as France slid to their heaviest defeat in a major tournament finals since losing 5-2 to Brazil at the 1958 World Cup.

The Dutch clinched first place in Group C with six points, four ahead of Romania. France and Italy, who meet in Zurich on Tuesday, have a point apiece with one game left.

"We are very happy to have beaten the world champions and the World Cup finalists in the same week," said Van Basten. "We started well but then we were too passive under French pressure towards the end of the first half.

"In the second we were dangerous even under French pressure. (Substitutes) Robben and Van Persie helped us do that."

Kuyt opened the scoring with a powerful header in the ninth minute following a Rafael van der Vaart corner and poor marking by the defence.

CHASING DEFENDERS