Ruud van Nistelrooy found the net for the eleventh time for his country as Holland beat Moldova 2-1 on Wednesday evening.
The Reds striker levelled the scores in the 27th minute after Boret had given the home side the lead. The Dutch left it late to claim all three points, however, with Marc van Bommel scoring in the 84th minute.
Dick Advocaat's Holland remain well on course for a place at the European Championships, with ten points from their four qualifying matches to date.
Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is not worried opponents have sussed his penalty taking technique.
The Dutch ace has a 100% record from the spot this season but what makes his statistics more surprising is all his penalties have been hit to the goalkeeper's right - and every one of them knew where the ball was heading.
Van Nistelrooy is aware his secret is out. "I always take them to that corner but there is enough power on the ball for it to go in," he says. "I watch the 'keeper and if he is not moving late I play it over there and that is the way I do it.
"I feel comfortable when I am taking penalties but there was a moment on Saturday [against Fulham] when we got it and I looked at the clock and realised that it was going to be the last kick of the first half. It was a key moment, so I had to focus really well and was happy that it went in because it was quite near the post."
The hitman's latest victim was Fulham goalkeeper Maik Taylor who had obviously done his homework as he dived to cover his right hand post, but penalty number seven - van Nistelrooy's 14th successful conversion since his £18.5m move from PSV Eindhoven in 2001 - slipped beyond his outstretched hands and into the back of the net.
Van Nistelrooy is not infallible - his one failure came in his first spot-kick for United in October 2001.
During a Champions League game at Old Trafford Olympiakos goalkeeper Dimitrios Eleftheropolous gave away the penalty then saved the Dutchman's spot-kick by diving to his right. The save did little to affect the outcome of the game as United won 3-0 with van Nistelrooy scoring the final goal.
Holland and the Czech Republic suffered last summer after missing out on the World Cup, but both are firmly in the hunt for an automatic place in Euro 2004 after drawing in Rotterdam.
Manchester United's in-form Ruud van Nistelrooy broke the deadlock for Holland on the stroke of half-time.
Juventus midfielder Edgar Davids crossed from the left and the powerful Van Nistelrooy nodded the ball past goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Jan Koller, however, gave himself an early birthday present with an equaliser nearly 20 minutes into second half.
Milan Baros, having just come on for Koller's club-mate Tomas Rosicky, raced to the byline and cut the ball back for the striker who turns 30 on Sunday to score from close range.
The absence of Holland and the Czech Republic from the World Cup meant that some of the best players on the planet had to stay at home.
Among them were Holland's Juventus star Davids' and fellow Juve star Pavel Nedved of the Czech Republic.
Both were on display in Rotterdam.
Another who missed out on the Far East tournament was Dutch captain Frank de Boer, the Barcelona defender who became the first Holland star to earn 100 caps for his country on the night.
Holland coach Dick Advocaat's men nearly led in the opening minutes.
Danish referee Kim Moller Nielsen awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Czech area after a Tomas Ujfalusi foul on Van Nistelrooy but Clarence Seedorf's attempt rattled off the right-hand post.
Van Nistelrooy had a chance to open his account 12 minutes into the game, shooting low from the left but Cech went down well and his touch kept the ball out.
Holland had most of the play, but the Czechs looked dangerous on the counter-attack.
In the 34th minute, Giovanni van Bronckhorst left the field to receive treatment after being knocked on the ankle.
He returned, but lasting until five minutes before half-time with Rafael van der Vaart coming on as his replacement.
Holland's hard work did not look as if it would pay dividends but just before the break Van Nistelrooy struck.
Davids, on the left side of the penalty area, sent the ball back in front of goal and Van Nistelrooy reacted by heading the ball to the right of Cech.
The Czechs came to life in the second half.
In the 57th minute, Koller headed a cross from the left by Pavel Nedved just over.
Then, Zdenek Grygera broke through on the right side and his pass into the box had to be saved by Jaap Stam, who knocked the ball just over the line.
Van Nistelrooy had a chance to double the advantage 13 minutes after the restart when Seedorf this time crossed from the right.
Unsighted, Van Nistelrooy pulled his head back at the last moment and was unable to direct the header toward goal.
Koller finally got his team back on level terms.
Baros, having received a pass near the edge of the area, darted to the line and, despite the attention of De Boer, sent the ball in front of goal where Koller poked past Ronald Waterreus.
In the 72nd minute, Patrick Kluivert had a chance to put the home side back in front.
Boudewijn Zenden's cross from the left was met by Kluivert whose diving, glancing header went just wide.
Baros, the Liverpool player who had been pivotal in the equaliser, fell to the ground seven minutes from time after a clumsy challenge from Stam.
He left the pitch with a blood pouring from a cut above his ear and returned only when bandaged six minutes later.
A winner would not be forthcoming.
Worse for Holland, Stam is doubtful for Wednesday's game against Moldova with a hamstring injury while Van Bronckhorst is almost certain to miss out with an ankle injury.
Failure to win means the Dutch may have to win in the Czech Republic if they want to take an automatic place.
The draw continues an intriguing rivalry between the two teams.
Before splitting into two countries, Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the European Championship final of 1976.
The Dutch, having made it to the final of the World Cup two years before, lost to the Czechs 3-1 and then watched them capture the title.
Before the split, Czechoslovakia won six and lost just once in their 10 meetings.
Since the break, including Saturday's result, each side has won once and drawn three.
Dutch coach Dick Advocaat is counting on strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert to fire his team to victory in Saturday's Euro 2004 qualifier against the Czech Republic.
Van Nistelrooy, who has scored 33 goals this season between appearances for the Netherlands and Manchester United, is on scintillating form, while Kluivert is among the leader scorers in Spain for Barcelona.
However, there has been no room in Advocaat's squad for marauding midfielder Marc Overmars, despite Kluivert's club team mate having scored two superb goals last weekend in a 6-1 league win over Racing Santander.
The absence is all the more marked as Ajax Amsterdam winger Andy van der Meyde has been ruled out by a thigh injury.
"In my opinion Marc (Overmars) won't add anything to my squad at the moment, so I don't need him right now," Advocaat said on Friday.
"I saw Marc play last Sunday and he scored two great goals, but apart from that he didn't really attract attention. But he still is close to my squad."
The Netherlands, the biggest team not to reach the 2002 World Cup finals, have won both their previous qualifiers in Group Three 3-0, against Austria and Belarus.
But the Czechs, losing finalists to Germany at Euro 96, have also won both theirs, albeit 2-0, against Moldova and Belarus in what is currently a very tight group. Austria, who the Czechs play next Wednesday, also have six points from two games.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been named in Dick Advocaat's Holland squad for their Euro 2004 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Moldova.
The United striker is joined by Arsenal's Giovani van Bronckhorst and Chelsea's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Boudewijn Zenden in the party to take on the Czechs in Rotterdam on Saturday and then travel to Moldova next Wednesday.
The Dutch are top of Group Three after two wins out of two so far, and lead the Czech Republic on goal difference.
RUUD ON TARGET AGAIN FOR HOLLAND
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