Afellay thrilled with return to Netherlands action

Posted Thursday, May 31, 2012 by Goal.com

Barcelona attacker Ibrahim Afellay was overjoyed to feature for Netherlands again in Wednesday's 2-0 friendly victory against Slovakia.

The 26-year-old spent the majority of the season on the sidelines due to a knee injury, but still earned the trust of coach Bert van Marwijk for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

He turned in an impressive display on his return for the Oranje, playing a role in Kornel Salata's own goal and being named the top player of the match.

"This is really nice," he told SBS after the game. "Winning 2-0 and being back after such a long time.

"A comeback like this always gives you a lot of confidence. I think it went well and I am happy that I played approximately 75 minutes."

Van Marwijk's side had come under fire after losing to Bulgaria on Saturday, but the Barca man stated that Wednesday's win proved their merits.

"I have not watched the last game against Bulgaria, but I am aware of the criticism," he added.

"I think we have shown that we can play brilliant football sometimes."

Netherlands will play one last friendly match against Northern Ireland before the start of Euro 2012, where they will take on Denmark, Germany and Portugal in the group stage.