Dutchmen send Qatar crashing to new WC low

1 year ago 53

The Netherlands inactive has a agelong mode to spell to lucifer the “total football” teams of the 1970s, oregon adjacent the much violative “Oranje” squads that reached the World Cup last successful 2010 and finished 3rd successful 2014.

Still, a 2-0 triumph implicit Qatar connected Wednesday greeting AEDT ensured the Dutch precocious to the circular of 16 by finishing archetypal successful Group A portion the Qataris, who were already eliminated, became the archetypal big to suffer each 3 of its radical matches astatine the World Cup.

“If you play against Qatar everybody volition deliberation and expect that you’ll triumph 5-0 oregon more, but this tourney has shown that it’s precise difficult," Netherlands midfielder Davy Klassen, who earned subordinate of the lucifer honours, said done a translator.

“We’re precise captious of ourselves and we request to improve," Klassen added. "But we person progressed and we’re going to determination on.”

Cody Gakpo enactment the Netherlands up midway done the archetypal fractional with his 3rd extremity successful arsenic galore matches and Frenkie de Jong doubled the vantage 5 minutes into the 2nd half.

The Netherlands is simply a three-time runner-up astatine the World Cup, and besides finished 3rd successful 2014, portion Qatar was making its tourney debut.

Qatar won the 2019 Asian Cup but the team’s Spanish coach, Felix Sanchez, said that tourney can’t beryllium compared to the World Cup.

“We came present trying to vie and we managed to bash that,” Sanchez said, adding that helium wasn’t definite astir his aboriginal presumption with the team.

“One of the things astir our nationalist squad is that we person a semipermanent program that doesn’t beryllium connected maine oregon anyone else,” Sanchez said. “We’re going to remainder for a fewer days and we’re going to support moving and planning.”

The Netherlands, which failed to suffice for the 2018 World Cup, finished with 7 points astatine the apical of the group. Senegal, which bushed Ecuador 2-1 successful the different radical game, precocious successful 2nd spot with six points. Ecuador was eliminated with 4 points and Qatar ended up with zero.

The attendance astatine Al Bayt Stadium, which besides hosted Qatar’s nonaccomplishment to Ecuador successful the tourney opener, was fixed arsenic 66,784 — astir astatine afloat capacity. There were tiny pockets of orange-clad Netherlands supporters, and Qatar fans down 1 of the goals chanted successful unison and jumped up and down.

Senegal and Ecuador speech haymakers

At 1 constituent during the 2nd half, Qatar fans held aloft a ample Palestinian emblem that said “Free Palestine” connected it.

In the 26th minute, Gakpo took power extracurricular the area, dribbled guardant and unleashed a almighty side-footed changeable betwixt 2 defenders that entered wrong the close post.

Gakpo became the 4th Dutch subordinate to people successful 3 consecutive World Cup games aft Johan Neeskens (1974), Dennis Bergkamp (1994) and Wesley Sneijder (2010). He besides became lone the 2nd subordinate to unfastened the scoring for his squad 3 times successful the aforesaid radical signifier aft Alessandro Altobelli for Italy successful 1986.

“Cody Gakpo has everything it takes to go a star,” 71-year-old Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal said. “Plus helium has a fantastic personality. He’s unfastened minded to everything.”

De Jong’s extremity came erstwhile helium sprinted guardant uncontested to sound successful a rebound from adjacent scope pursuing a changeable from Memphis Depay.

A imaginable 3rd extremity for the Netherlands by Steven Berghuis was waved disconnected pursuing a video reappraisal for a handball successful the buildup.

Berghuis past deed the barroom successful added time.

While the Netherlands dominated the possession and created galore much chances, Qatar did propulsion guardant connected juncture and determination was a tense infinitesimal for the Dutch erstwhile goalkeeper Andries Noppert had occupation collecting a long-range changeable from Ismael Mohamed aft Gakpo’s goal.

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