Holland coach Bert van Marwijk saw his team stride into a World Cup final for the first time in 32 years with a 3-2 win against Uruguay and then looked forward to a potentially spicy clash with Germany.
The Germans take on Spain in Durban in tomorrow night's second semi-final and a victory for Joachim Low's team would throw up a chance for Holland to make amends for their defeat against West Germany in 1974.
That was the 'Total Football' era of Johan Cruyff when Holland were widely regarded as the most thrilling side on the planet.
After seeing Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben supply the goals which defeated Uruguay, Van Marwijk said: "I think Spain are playing the best football overall, but Germany are perhaps the best team at this championship.
"I won't say I prefer to play one team or another but it would be unique to play Germany after 1974.
"I don't think in terms of revenge. The Netherlands played a wonderful match against Germany but we lost and we should have won it. It was a unique generation with Johan Cruyff, the best footballer who ever existed. So it is great that we have ended up in the final again.
"I am very happy and proud that such a small country is in the final of a World Cup. It is difficult to understand but you have to go out there and live it and do it."
Van Marwijk said the key to Holland winning 14 matches in a row, including the qualifying games, was convincing his players to believe in themselves.
"If you truly believe in something you can make it come true," he said. "The team started believing it. You have got to have the mentality not to be too complacent. The players in the last two years started to understand this."
Van Marwick admitted, however, that he was worried when Diego Forlan scored with a 30-yard swerving shot to equalise Van Bronckhorst's opener and the tide seemed to go against Holland for a time.
Even when the score was 3-1, Maximiliano Pereira scored a late goal to give the Dutch a few frantic minutes and Van Marwijk said: "Things went wrong now and again but we took the initiative and when we scored to make it 2-1 we had confidence and you saw how well we could play.
"Suddenly we were faced with 3-2 and then it was so exciting. It was survival of the fittest in last two minutes. We were so relieved."
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez believed Holland's second goal by Sneijder should have been ruled out for offside, a decision he insisted changed the course of the game.
He said: "It was offside and it was a bad moment, but there is no point in weeping or making excuses. The match could have been different. They were then at ease and they have huge attacking potential. But we never gave up and if you have to choose a way of losing it would look like this."
Tabarez revealed Forlan had played with an injury and that is why he was substituted in the second half with Holland leading 3-1.
"It was nothing serious," said Tabarez. "But it was visible he was not 100% fit."
Tabarez would not be drawn on his own future.
"It doesn't depend on me," he said. "It's not up to me. I must wait for the next step.
"There must first be a proposal from the Uruguay football federation. I couldn't say no yet. If a proposal comes we will have to take a look. This is not the right moment to say anything.
"We were among the four semi-finalists and the other three are powerhouses of Europe. We know where football in Uruguay stands on a world level. I am proud of the team. You couldn't ask for more from these players."