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ESPN staff 7y

Netherlands boss Dick Advocaat emotional for Wesley Sneijder record

Netherlands manager Dick Advocaat said he became emotional on a landmark evening for midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who scored a goal while breaking the Dutch record for caps in a career on Friday.

Advocaat's men cruised to a 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Luxembourg that improved their chances of playing in Russia next year, with Sneijder scoring second.

The Galatasaray man, making his 131st appearance for Netherlands, broke Edwin van der Sar's record on his 33rd birthday, and the Dutch manager admitted he got caught up in the moment.

"I was a bit emotional," Advocaat told NOS. "It will be my age, because I was already a bit [emotional] by the national anthem. I'll have to be a little careful with it.

"Sneijder's passes remain of exceptional quality. There are few players in the world that can match it. We should take advantage of him for as long as possible."

Sneijder said after the game: "I have played 131 games for Oranje now. That is a magic number for me from here on.

"It is absolutely fantastic to have become Netherlands' most-capped player. I have always worked hard for this and have made a lot of sacrifices to get here. So it is a really special feeling, particularly to do it on my birthday.

"Plus I scored and we won, so it is fair to say I am a happy man."

Sneijder was deployed as a No. 10, playing off striker Vincent Janssen -- a role Advocaat says he could occupy against France in August.

"Against France he can play another position," Advocaat added. "In late August, everyone must ensure that they are fit again. We will have a very close look at it.

"We have to go for the first place. The first two games against France and Bulgaria after the holidays are very important. It is a crazy time because many players are still not clear where they play."

Arjen Robben, one of the goalscorers on the night, revealed he wasn't as weepy as his boss, but admitted the match was special.

"We gave him [Sneijder] a nice shirt signed by all players, with his debut match and today's game on it. Wesley has a beautiful golden dish with all matches on it. Yes, it was a unique moment," Robben told NOS.

"There were no tears. But it was special. Personally, I am very proud that I could hand over the gifts to Wesley. I have nothing but praise for Sneijder, he's been very important for the Dutch team."

The win, coupled with France's loss to Sweden, complicates the qualification scenario for the Netherlands. Robben, however, focused on the positives.

"We had perhaps hoped for a victory for France, because we would have been in control of second spot," Robben said.

"Now we are in a different situation, but let's look at positive instead of the negative. We just have to try to beat France, we have to be sharp at the beginning of the season and then there might be a little surprise in Paris. I am a positive man. We're still in control, but it is more difficult. "

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