Ruud has the last word

A measure too of his blazing commitment to the Dutch cause. He's not bad in red of course but the orange, particularly now that he's won his battle with Patrick Kluivert to become Holland's premier striker, just appears to infect him with even more passionate intensity.

It was only nine months ago that van Nistelrooy ran around like a lunatic in Holland's 3-1 qualifying group defeat to the Czech Republic frantically trying to fight a lost cause with the team down to 10 men. Substituted near the end, he kicked over a water bottle and screamed " coward" at coach Dick Advocaat for what he believed was his surrender.

Though Advocaat had to punish him for this indiscipline, maybe it was that incident which actually made him feel that van Nistelrooy, more than Kluivert, had the heart to inspire a full-blooded Euro 2004 challenge.

Last night, the elastic power and determination which enabled him to latch on to Andy van der Meyde's cross from the right and still brilliantly hook the ball home under pressure may have persuaded Advocaat he has got it right.

"We kept fighting and we're still alive," boomed van Nistelrooy, though thankfully this time just about managing to steer clear of the Basil Fawlty territory. Now, he can have that belated chance of revenge over the Czechs when Holland meet the group D leaders in Aveiro on Saturday.

Pierre van Hooijdonk, who goes back a long way with his old pal van Nistelrooy, hopes that their new linkup in the final quarter-of-an hour last night could be given another airing against the Czechs. The late introduction of the old Forest mischief maker, providing a new aerial threat and much needed support up front, made a decisive difference when van Hooijdonk pulled the Germans' obdurate defence out of position, allowing van der Meyde to whip the perfect ball in for the other van man.

"Ruud and I haven't played one whole match together," said van Hooijdonk. "But I think the Germans became more shaky when I came on."

He is right, yet before that bit of late panic, Rudi Voller's side had looked as accomplished as at any time since their World Cup final appearance two years ago, thus making a mockery of their recent lame performances as they deservedly led for more than 50 minutes through the curling touchline freekick from Torsten Frings which deceived everyone en route to the corner of the net. How did man-of-the-match Michael Ballack account for this familiar German metamorphosis now that a major championship was being sniffed. "It's a phenomenon I can't really explain," he shrugged, and neither could anyone else who saw them panned 5-1 by Romania recently.

After the first round of matches in which none of the favourites have truly stamped their authority and in which Sweden proved unlikely standouts, a German side looking hard, solid and disciplined is enough to keep everyone's minds concentrated.