Vaart. But whatever players he had, he turned them into a well-functioning unit shorn of their egoistic demons, thriving on swift counterattacking football spearheaded by the pace and guile of Arjen Robben.

On Saturday against a sticky Costa Rica side, despite having enjoyed the lion's share of possession and enough chances to kill the game off in 90 minutes, Netherlands found themselves in a sticky situation, facing the prospect of overcoming the monstrous Keylor Navas in goal.

As the penalties loomed, the Dutch fans might have felt the impending horror of being knocked out in the same fashion for the fifth time. But Van Gaal had carefully kept his trump card for the opportune moment. On came Tim Krul of Newcastle United, to the shock of Jasper Cillessen, saved two penalty kicks and became the latest hero in a World Cup of goalkeepers.