The Oranje shone bright in Salvador on Friday the 13th! It was supposed to be one of the matches of the group phase — defending champions Spain playing 2010 runners-up the Netherlands — but it turned out to be a superb display of individual skills by two Dutchmen which consigned the tie to an almost one-way traffic.

Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. Brilliant, awesome, electric. Pardon me if I am going overboard.

But these are the days when even if you go overboard no one will be raising an eyebrow! I am convinced these two will conjure some more magic as the World Cup progresses.

There were sceptics who doubted Van Persie’s capabilities since he was bogged down by injuries. But the first goal, which actually turned the match on its head, silenced all the Doubting Thomases.

Like a Flying Dutchman he executed a sensational volley header that left Iker Casillas frozen as the ball sailed over his head and into the goal.

As good as RVP’s run and finish was the long curling pass from Daley Blind. It was perfect, giving Van Persie the time he needed to get behind Spain’s back line and make a play on the ball.

I am sure Johan Cruyff, the original Flying Dutchman, would be very happy watching this goal. I thought Van Persie would hit the ball on the ground hard so that the ball lobbed over Casillas.

But instead he did something which was out-of-the-world. One of the stand-out goals of the World Cup has come on the very second day itself!

He had spotted that Casillas was off the line and made full use of the goalkeeper’s dilly-dallying. If Van Persie was all over the Spanish defence, Robben was not far behind. One of the best left-footers in world football, even though Lionel Messi walks away with all the accolades, Robben is reproducing his Bayern Munich form from the very outset.

The way he rounded off a goalkeeper of Casillas stature to get the fifth goal was astonishing. He does that in the Bundesliga and Champions League, but World Cup is a much bigger stage.

There’s not many things defenders fear more than Robben running at them with the ball. He has a multitude of options to befuddle the defenders, and most of them involve his incredible pace.

The control and finish he showed to get the Netherlands’ second was also sublime. He latched on to the ball brilliantly before turning Gerard Pique and holding off Sergio Ramos to fire home.

Now spare a thought for Casillas. The man who led Spain to the World Cup four years back is now a pale shadow of himself. As Robben and Wesley Sneijder wildly celebrated the former’s second goal, Casillas slumped to ground in dismay.

To me that frame on the television in the wee hours of a Saturday said it all. It’s over for Casillas and I will be surprised if Vicente del Bosque continues with him.

If I were at Del Bosque’s place I would have definitely gone for David de Gea. The Spaniards must be missing Victor Valdes who would have been the perfect man to stand under the bar.

Talking about some other players who caught the eye, Oscar and Giovani dos Santos impressed me the most.

When the world was going gaga over Neymar’s homecoming, it was Oscar who pulled the strings for Brazil.

And to cap it all, he scored a goal which was archetypal Brazilian. Brazil’s fate rests on the shoulders of this Chelsea man more than Neymar.