Robben shines as Dutch beat Wales

Fit-again Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder scored either side of the break on Sunday to earn the Netherlands a 2-0 home win over Wales in their final friendly before the Euro 2008 finals.

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Robben displayed his class when he broke the deadlock 10 minutes before halftime and Sneijder's swerving free kick made sure for the Netherlands after 54 minutes.

The Dutch started with the same team that drew 1-1 against Denmark on Thursday but they initially lacked the creativity and pace to unsettle a tight Welsh defence.

With only Robben showing top form, the Dutch attack rarely threatened in the first half and had to resort to long-range drives which the Welsh keeper gathered.

The opening goal came out of the blue 10 minutes before the interval when Robben outran three defenders to hit the net.

Nine minutes into the second half, Sneijder settled it with a curling free kick around the wall.

Dutch coach Marco van Basten was delighted to see Robben firing on all cylinders again after suffering several injury setbacks last season with Real Madrid.

"He is showing pleasure in what he is doing and that is exactly the Robben we want to see," van Basten told reporters.

Robben added: "I am ready for the (Euro 2008) tournament ... I'm completely fit.

"I never had doubts but it has been a tough period because you want to play for your club and country. It's frustrating if you can't pick up rhythm because of injuries."

The Netherlands open their Euro 2008 campaign against world champions Italy on June 9 in Berne in Group C. They also face France (June 13) and Romania (June 17) there.