Four-nil! Kluivert enjoys what turned out to be a hat-trick (GaryMPrior/Allsport)

The Barcelona striker grabbed the glory with two goals either side of half-time to destroy the challenge of Yugoslavia in Rotterdam.

Marc Overmars added two more to send Frank Rijkaard's team into Thursday's semi-final against Italy in buoyant mood.

They are hitting top form at the crucial stage of the tournament and it will take a valiant effort from the Italians to deny Holland a return to Feyenoord's stadium for next weekend's final.

Savo Milosevic scored his fifth of the tournament in stoppage time but it was no consolation for Yugoslavia, who were no match for the rampaging co-hosts.

Kluivert's four-goal blitz, which took his Euro 2000 goal-tally to six and his international strike-rate to 29 goals in 44 games, started in the 24th minute.

Holland, urged forward by a partisan Rotterdam crowd, had seized the initiative from the outset thanks largely to the industry of Edgar Davids and Boudewijn Zenden.

Dennis Bergkamp drifted off the front-line and came from deep to link up with Overmars in the third minute but his shot cannoned to safety off a Yugoslav defender.

Ivica Kralj saved from Bergkamp and watched anxiously as Davids stormed through the defence only to blaze his shot wildly into the crowd.

But the PSV Eindhoven keeper was beaten when Bergkamp clipped a pin-point pass to Kluivert in front of goal.

The striker controlled at full-stretch and, just when it seemed Kralj might manage to smother the shot, poked the ball beyond the keeper.

Holland grew stronger, confidence bubbling. Kralj kept out shots from Zenden, Arthur Numan and Overmars but Kluivert had a taste for more goals.

His second came seven minutes before the break in similar fashion to his first. This time it was Davids who supplied the pass and Kluivert, who had drifted away from his marker, slotted a crisp half-volley into the net.

It might all have been very different if Predrag Mijatovic had taken a glorious 15th-minute chance.

Milosevic turned past Frank de Boer inside the penalty area and slipped a short pass to his strike-partner but Edwin van der Saar dived to his right to beat away the close-range shot from the Yugoslav.

Van der Saar was also equal to two swerving free-kicks from the explosive left-boot of Sinisa Mihajlovic but that was the extent of Yugoslavia's challenge until Milosevic's late effort.

Yugoslavia had battled back from three down against Slovenia in Group C but overhauling a deficit against the ever-improving Dutch was a different proposition.

Kluivert attacked the near-post to complete the hat-trick with a classic striker's goal from close range, six minutes after the restart.

Bergkamp's free-kick from the Dutch left had been partially cleared to Paul Bosvelt who stormed to the by-line on the right and delivered a low cross into Kluivert's run.

Goal number four for the Barcelona goal machine came just three minutes later.

Zenden burst into the area from the left. He enjoyed the run of the ball as he rode a tackle and passed to Kluivert, who adjusted brilliantly in front of goal to side-foot a volley past Kralj from an awkward height.

The centre-forward bowed out early to a standing ovation. He was replaced by Roy Makaay in the 59th minute and the sub almost found the net with his first touch, a glancing header from Bergkamp's inswinging corner.

Philip Cocu clipped the bar from long-range but it was Overmars who finally joined Kluivert on the score-sheet. The Arsenal winger volleyed in from 20 yards to open his account in the tournament.

His second came directly from more misfortune for Cocu who had a bad time with the woodwork.

The midfielder needed treatment after colliding with his own post then saw a ferocious drive rebound from the foot of the post into the path of Overmars who claimed his second.

Milosevic tapped home his fifth of the tournament in stoppage time but it was the Dutch who went home happy.