In front of a sea of orange created by 50,000 fans in an expectant Rotterdam; Holland served up six goals and a football masterclass to leave their fans in raptures and a stunned Yugoslavia wondering what went wrong.

Patrick Kluivert's goals earned him a standing ovation when he was taken off near the end but the widest smile surely belonged to Frank Rijkaard, the Dutch manager, who has been heavily criticised by Johan Cruyff and many others who wore the orange shirt in the golden era of the 1970s.

Holland registered a display of such consummate brilliance that, at times, blue shirts were not even visible. Yugoslavia were in the wrong place at the wrong time and were overpowered by the skill and application of a team that looked uncharacteristically focused.

There is nothing more thrilling than the sight of exceptional individuals making more than the sum of their parts, and it will take a sensational side to stop the 'Oranje' from running away with the championship if they can reproduce this type of form.

In a brilliant collective display there were a number of fantastic solo performances that stood out, in particular from Kluivert - whose goals arrived in the first hour - and Edgar Davids, who was the heartbeat of the rampant Dutch.

Yugoslavia had the first genuine chance. The tournament's erstwhile top scorer Savo Milosevic cut in from the left and showed Figo-like footwork to fool Jaap Stam before squaring to strike partner Predrag Mijatovic.

The Fiorentina forward looked odds-on to get the game's opening goal but fired wastefully at the keeper from 15 yards. In response, Dennis Bergkamp nearly made him pay dearly when, from the left-hand corner of the penalty area, he forced Krajl in to a spectacular save high to his left.

After 19 minutes, Davids was the next player to fluff a goal when he powerfully cut through the centre of the Yugoslav rear and found an ominous amount of space 20 yards from goal.

He elected to shoot early and, with the keeper beaten, missed the top corner of the goal by inches. The game may have remained goalless following that attack, but that was only a temporary state as Patrick Kluivert extended his right leg and latched on to a lofted ball from Bergkamp, after 25 minutes.

Demonstrating composure beyond his years, the 23-year-old steadied himself and toe-poked over a wincing Krajl who failed to show the bravery required of a top-class keeper. The ball rolled in to an open net and Rotterdam’s own ‘Oranje’ bowl exploded.

Holland, and in particular the indefatigable Davids, were dominating. Yugoslavia, who have proved they can bounce back, were struggling to get to grips with an inspired Holland side.

After 37 minutes, the co-hosts registered the second goal that their superiority deserved when Davids delicately clipped the ball in to the penalty area, from 30 yards out. Kluivert, in a cameo of the first goal, edged away from his marker by the penalty spot, stretched out his right boot and sweetly half-volleyed past a statuesque Krajl.

The team in tangerine were living up to their footballing heritage and that was something not even the hyper-critical Johan Cruyff could deny.

Within two minutes of the second-half Davids again cut the Yugoslavian defence apart when he chipped to the far post for Marc Overmars to run on to. But the Highbury man could not keep his half-volley down from eight yards out and the ball went harmlessly in to the crowd.

However, normal service was resumed when Paul Bosvelt, showing imperious ball skills for a defender, danced past his marker to the touchline. His cut-back was inch-perfect for what the crowd thought was Kluivert's hat-trick, the match-ball and the acclaim of the home crowd. However a UEFA decision would later award it as an own-goal by the unfortunate Dejan Govedarica.

The Barcelona hit-man grabbed his hat-trick following some persistent work from Zenden, when he delicately volleyed in from six yards out. Kluivert skillfully re-directed the ball to the keeper's left, past the despairing reach of Krajl.

With 77 minutes gone, the Dutch had already registered a timeless display of football. But they weren't finished. Marc Overmars received Bergkamp’s driven pass on the edge of the penalty area and set himself up to volley.