The Netherlands qualified for the World Cup final after beating Uruguay 3-2 in Cape Town on Tuesday evening.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst put the Dutch ahead with a great strike on 18m, but Uruguay striker Diego Forlan equalised with an even better shot just before halftime.
The Dutch however picked up the tempo in the second half and two goals within three minutes by Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben settled the issue.
Uruguay did pull a goal back through Maximiliano Pereira in injury time but by then it was too late for a comeback and Holland held on for the victory.
The Dutch did most of the early attacking with Dirk Kuyt supplying good crosses from the right flank, while Wesley Sneijder provided the impetus in central midfield.
But it was captain Van Bronckhorst who opened the scoring on 18m when he received the ball in midfield and unleashed a 30m shot that flew high into the net.
Such was Holland’s early dominance, that Uruguay’s first attempt of note only came in the 35th minute when an Alvaro Pereira shot was comfortably saved by Maarten Stekelenburg.
But despite their limited possession, Uruguay’s star striker Diego Forlan conjured a goal out of nothing on 41m when he won possession in midfield and struck a great shot that rocketed into the net.
Holland came out stronger in the second half, with Arjen Robben coming close after a pass from Rafael van der Vaart, before Sneijder put them 2-1 ahead with a shot from the edge of the box that took a deflection into the right hand corner of the net.
Three minutes later Robben made it 3-1 when he headed in a cross by Dirk Kuyt, which left Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera rooted to the spot.
Maximiliano Pereira pulled a goal back for Uruguay two minutes into injury time but it was too little too late as Holland held on for the victory.
The match ended in disarray as some of the opposing players confronted and shoved each other, while some Uruguayan players had to be restrained from accosting the referee.
With the victory, Holland reached their third World Cup final after their previous appearances in 1974 and 1978 both ended in defeat. In 1974 they lost 2-1 to Germany and four years later they lost 3-1 to Argentina.
They will meet the winner of the second semifinal between Germany and Spain in Durban on Wednesday night.