The MOB was drawn to Dennis Bergkamp like filings to a magnet. The player who is calmly closing in on the title of player of the tournament had switched the game off with a last-minute goal of sweet temerity. It reversed the trend of a game which looked to have been going away from the Dutch. Bergkamp had spent some time as the boy with his finger in the dyke.

"When Numan was sent off we had to change things - I had to play a bit more in defence," he said. "It was a blow for us because it was so hot, we were very tired. Then just at the right moment we got a lift because of Ortega's red card. Now it's Brazil. We're looking forward to it."

Meanwhile, Bergkamp drives back to Monaco knowing that he has crashed the pantheon of Dutch greats, having become the top scoring Dutch player of all time with 36 goals.

"It was maybe my greatest moment," he told the press. "Some of the players were saying it reminded them so much of a goal I scored against Leicester in the Premiership last season when I completed a hat-trick. I hadn't thought about it, but that is the way it happened alright.

"I got a perfect ball from Frank de Boer and controlled it before scoring. It is an instinctive thing I guess, but I was very glad to get it because it certainly wasn't my best game. I had only two really good moments probably, but when that goal went in the feeling was indescribable. When it happens like that and you have done it for your country in the World Cup it is something special."

Ortega wasn't available for comment on his stupidest hour, but the victim of his dumb head butt, Dutch goalie Edwin van der Saar, made a brief appearance looking none the worse for wear.

"There's no real hurt now, but I was very surprised how Ortega reacted. Things were going their way and they needed to stay cool. Then this happened."

Exit smiling.

Enter scowling, Argentinian coach Daniel Passarella. Casting bouquets reluctantly.

"Holland are a very, very good team. It was a very tough match, especially in the first-half. In the second-half we were forced to go a little bit back and play more defensively."

Passarella looked exhausted, as if he had played every ball and sweated every tackle himself. Tiredness indeed was his theme. Not retribution. No Hoddle spite for Ortega.

"We had not recovered from our fatigue from playing against England. We were very tired and our opponents had had one day more to rest, which was very important at this stage. Then we lost one of our most important players, Ariel Ortega.

"I haven't seen that incident so I cannot say whether it was a penalty or not. Maybe it should have been a penalty, I will watch the video."

Passarella departed. We'll see no more of him, but plenty more of Bergkamp. Holland now face Brazil back in Marseille tomorrow. Bergkamp left town without a trace of tiredness.

"That could be tougher than this game, but we feel our confidence growing now. It is a pleasure just to be here in the first place, but who knows? We could even win it."