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Netherlands, France triumph

By Jose Alfredo Flores
USA TODAY

The Netherlands and France advanced to the Euro 2000 semifinals with Sunday victories.

The Netherlands routed Yugoslavia 6-1 behind a record four goals by Patrick Kluivert and two by Marc Overmars. It will meet Italy in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at noon Thursday.

World champion France beat Spain 2-1, but only after Raul missed a last-second penalty kick. France will play Portugal in Brussels at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday. The final is July 2 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

''It was incredible, and no one could ever have thought this,'' Kluivert said. ''We were the masters of this match.''

The Netherlands scored the most goals by a team in tournament history, and it was the first time since 1984 that a team scored at least five goals in a European Championship game.

Kluivert became the tournament's top scorer with six goals, surpassing Yugoslavia's Savo Milosevic. Milosevic scored his country's lone goal in injury time to give him five for Euro 2000.

In the France-Spain game, France's Zinedine Zidane, the World Footballer of the Year in 1998, scored the first goal in the 32nd minute on a free kick. The midfielder sent a fierce dipping strike beyond goalkeeper Santiago Canizares.

After Spain's Pedro Munitis tied the match six minutes later on a penalty kick, Youri Djorkaeff put in the game-winner a minute before halftime on a free kick.

Saturday's games: Italy defeated Romania 2-0, and Portugal beat Turkey 2-0 on two goals by Nuno Gomes.