Bet Facts / Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 09 June 2008 / 1 Comments

Ruud Van Nistelrooy, matched at [9.0] to open the scoring, got things under way for a Dutch side...

The Netherlands were matched at [85.0] on Betfair to beat Italy 3-0 in a fantastic match from the "Group of Death" that clearly showed that attacking football is very much alive.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy, matched at [9.0] to open the scoring, got things under way for a Dutch side that hit a high of [3.85] on the match odds market. Sneijder added a second before the unlikely Van Bronckhorst added a third, good news for those who backed the Netherlands to be leading at half-time and winning at full-time at 8.2. Van Der Saar's heroics, in particular from a Pirlo free-kick, ensured a return at [3.35] for those backing the Dutch clean sheet.

Earlier in Group C, France and Romania played out a goalless draw. The stalemate was matched at [3.9] and the correct score was a [9.4] chance.

These two results have certainly shaken up the betting for Euro 2008 on Betfair, including the winner market. The Netherlands, matched at a high of [17.5], are now joint-second favourites alongside Portugal and Spain at [6.6]. Italy have drifted to [13.0] and France are even longer in the betting at [15.5]. This result unsurprisingly seems to have convinced the layers on Betfair that Van Basten's side are all but through to the next round as they trade at [1.18] to get out of the group. France ([1.98]), are a shorter price than Italy ([2.56]) to qualify for the next round, despite the fact that Italy are a shorter price to actually go on and win the competition. Romania are [3.8] to progress to the quarters.

Tags: Euro 2008 bets, Jamie Pacheco, Ruud Van Nistelrooy