Relief for Edwin van der Sar after Holland's winning penalty against the Czechs (GaryMPrior/Allsport)

A controversial penalty by Frank de Boer just a minute from time broke the hearts of the courageous Czechs and gave the Dutch an undeserved victory in a match of pulsating action which ended in anger and simmering tension.

The Czechs were furious after all their hard work was ruined by a refereeing decision by Italian official Pierluigi Collina which appeared harsh in the extreme.

The official ruled that Jiri Nemec had pulled back Ronald de Boer in a late flurry of penalty box action.

De Boer's brother Frank stepped up to coolly blast home the penalty and the whole of Holland, it seemed, was grateful for the lifeline.

And then, as if the game needed more drama, referee Collina ran half the width of the field to send off Radoslav Latal, who had been substituted earlier, in the Czech dug-out for his protests over the penalty.

But spare a thought for the Czech Republic, who had been given little chance of upsetting the Dutch masters and yet finished by far the better footballing side.

In the Dutch fortress of the Amsterdam Arena the Czechs twice hit the woodwork in a fabulously entertaining second half which was as breathtaking as it was brilliant.

They also drew one save of world-class proportions from Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

And they also conspired to miss the chance of the match when former Manchester United winger Karel Poborsky, no more than a yard out, failed to connect with a Pavel Nedved cross with van der Sar stranded.

Poborsky held his head in his hands in anguish and well he might. For this was the night the championship's clear favourites, the team most people were tipping to walk to the final in Rotterdam early next month, almost saw their hopes shattered.

They could not have had a complaint if they had, despite losing their inspirational Manchester United defender Jaap Stam with a head injury halfway through the second half.

That may have upset the Dutch rhythm, but not nearly as much as the Czech waves of attack which blasted through de Boer's defence.

And yet that second half was all the more dramatic because of the 45 minutes which had gone before - a half which Holland entirely dominated with the style and precision of their passing and the invention of their big-name stars.

When the Dutch play like that it is like casting your eye over the Rembrandts which adorn the walls of the copious art galleries in this city - the patterns are precise, the movement was fluid and the flourishes were a delight on the eye.

And yet in the Amsterdam Arena, a stadium whose steepling steps make you wish you'd packed your crampons, we witnessed a transformation of remarkable dimensions.

That first half was virtually one-way traffic, Holland surging forward on an orange wave of enterprise which threatened to envelop the Czechs.

They should have made them pay, Edgar Davids bursting through in the 12th minute to feed Patrick Kluivert whose shot was blocked, only for Dennis Bergkamp's follow-up to be saved by Czech goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek.

A fabulous shimmy by Kluivert saw him race clear again but again Srnicek was alive to the menace, this time performing a double save as Boudewijn Zenden followed up.

Another Bergkamp effort, after inventive approach work, went agonisingly wide and there was just a feeling that it might be one of those nights for the Dutch.

The Czech's sole threat in those early stages came from the muscular presence of lone striker Jan Koller.

They packed their defence, clogged the middle of the pitch and challenged Holland to weave their way through an estate of cul-de-sacs.

Indeed it was 45 minutes before the Czechs produced anything like a chance of their own, Nedved pulling the trigger from all of 30 yards only to see his shot scream into the sidenetting.

The 8,000 or so Czech fans rose as one, only to flop deflated as they realised the billowing net was not the breakthrough they had thought.

Incredibly they should have taken the lead just a minute after the restart - and Poborsky will no doubt replay the moment in his mind for years to come.

Nedved, an industrious and skilful presence at the heart of the Czech midfield, found space out on the left and his left-foot cross snaked across the goalmouth with van der Sar stranded.

Poborsky, steaming in at the far post, needed the merest of touches to put the Czechs in front but somehow he failed to make contact with a desperate lunge.

Suddenly where Holland had been in total control they were now rocking and only the expert positioning and handling of van der Sar, the man coveted last season by Manchester United, saved a crisp strike by Koller.

If those were wake-up calls then Nedved almost shook the Dutch house to its foundations in the 57th minute when he rose high to meet a left-wing cross and sent the ball thudding against the Dutch post with van der Sar beaten.

The early Czech reticence to get forward had been replaced by an enthusiasm to counter-attack at every opportunity - and suddenly they looked like a side who could not only win the game but win the tournament.

And still the chances came - next when Poborsky floated over a teasing free-kick and Koller leapt to head the ball against van der Sar's crossbar.

Once again the woodwork had saved the Dutch, for whom the weight of pressure is understandably heavy.

As joint-hosts they enjoy all the comforts of home and the adoration of an army of fans - with their floppy hats and inflatable clogs - who are as strikingly orange as they are red-bloodedly passionate.

They are also seemingly free of the team traumas and disaffection which have undermined so many of their tournament challenges.

Most of all, they are clear favourites - a glance down their first teamsheet enough to draw gasps at their amazing firepower.

And yet names and reputations are nothing without hard work to go with them. Tonight Bergkamp, Davids and Co should be thanking their stars and the referee.

The work and the style was provided by the Czechs. They should not have gone away empty handed.