RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Netherlands captain Robin van Persie and defender Daryl Janmaat emerged unscathed Tuesday after a collision with a kite surfer on Rio’s Ipanema beach.
Neither player showed any ill effects of the incident at the Netherlands training session Tuesday afternoon at the Estadio da Gavea in Rio.
Janmaat, who is expected to be in Louis van Gaal’s starting lineup for Friday’s Group B opener against Spain in Salvador, said the kite surfer nearly floored him during a stroll along the beach in front of the Dutch team’s hotel on Monday.
He told Dutch public broadcaster NOS he “almost got a kite on my head. A man was kite surfing and he fell exactly where I was standing.”
Though both Janmaat and Van Persie were struck as the kite surfer landed, Netherlands team management said neither player was badly hurt in the incident.
Van Persie ran freely during the session and scored a number of free kicks, while Janmaat practiced crossing from the right flank — something he will be required to do as a wing back in the 5-3-2 system coach Louis van Gaal is expected to deploy against Spain.
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