Double Dutch

Van Basten said the victory, which came courtesy of two second-half goals in a five-minute spell by John Heitinga and Ryan Babel, proved his squad had strength in depth and that there was healthy competition for places.

8220;It was a very positive match in many regards, not least because of the result,8221; said Van Basten. 8220;I was very pleased at the way the boys came back after going a goal down.8221;

Van Basten was also happy that his team had got the better of Mexico8217;s five-man defence. 8220;But the most important thing I learned tonight is that we have a super group of players,8221; Van Basten said.

8220;I picked a reserve team tonight and they proved to me that they are all ready to play a part in the World Cup. That is important for us if we are to keep improving at the World Cup.8221;

Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt, whose cross set up Babel8217;s 57th-minute half-volleyed winner, said the reserves were all jostling for places. 8220;The second choice guys showed the coach tonight that he can count on them,8221; Kuyt said. 8220;I8217;m very happy because we rediscovered our attacking spirit against well-organised opponents.8221;

The defeat piled the pressure on Mexico8217;s Argentinian-born coach Ricardo Lavolpe, who saw his team beaten 0-1 by France.

Mexico, ranked fourth in the world by FIFA and seeded eighth for the finals in Germany, face Portugal, Angola and Iran in their opening round group D. The Dutch kick off their group C campaign against Serbia and Montenegro on June 11 before matches against Argentina and the Ivory Coast.