Marco van Basten's Dutch flyers were already in a strong position after drubbing Italy 3-0, with the world champions being held 1-1 by Romania in Friday's earlier game in the group.

But they never looked back after Dirk Kuyt headed them in front on 10 minutes, with subs Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie combining brilliantly to make it 2-0 on 59 minutes.

The French fancied a comeback when Thierry Henry deftly turned home Willy Sagnol's right-wing cross on 71 - but Real Madrid's Robben put the result beyond doubt on 72 with a stunning left-footed finish into the roof of the net from a tight angle on the left.

If that finish was sweet, Robben was upstaged in the dying minutes by Wesley Sneijder, who curled a 20-yard shot in off the underside of the crossbar.

Italy and France now face a crunch qualification clash in their final group game, but the result will not matter if Romania beat the Dutch as they have two points on the board.