AL-KHOR, Qatar —
Cody Gakpo scored again as the Netherlands booked their place in the
World Cup last 16 as group winners with a straightforward 2–0 victory over
hosts Qatar on Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
The Netherlands,
needing just a point to be sure of progressing, put one foot in the next round
inside the first half-hour as Gakpo scored for a third straight group game.
Frenkie de Jong
added another in the 49th minute as the Dutch cruised through in a flat
atmosphere at the Al-Bayt Stadium.
Qatar, already
eliminated before kick-off, suffered the ignominy of becoming the first home
team in World Cup history to finish the group stage without a point.
Louis van Gaal’s
Dutch side ended with seven points at the top of Group A, while Senegal joined
them in the knockout phase as runners-up after beating Ecuador 2–1.
The Oranje will
next take on the second-placed team from Group B for a quarterfinal spot at the
Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.
England currently
top that section and face Wales later on Tuesday, while the US play Iran. All
four teams are still in the hunt for qualification.
The Dutch have
made a solid start as they look to put the disappointment of failing to qualify
for the
2018 World Cup in Russia firmly behind them.
Qatar signed off
from their long-awaited home World Cup with a whimper, securing their place in
the record books as the worst ever hosts on the pitch.
Van Gaal was able
to give Memphis Depay his first start of the tournament as the Barcelona star
continued his return to full fitness after a hamstring injury.
It did not take
the Dutch long to slice through the Qatar defense, although Daley Blind could
only scuff a fourth-minute attempt straight at goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham.
The opening goal
arrived in the 26th minute as Davy Klaassen played in Gakpo after a neat move
also involving Depay.
The PSV Eindhoven
winger drove forward and drilled a low strike into the bottom corner from the
edge of the box to score his third goal of the tournament.
The three-time
World Cup runners-up took advantage of shoddy Qatar defending to double their
advantage four minutes after the break.
Depay was denied
from close range by Barsham but De Jong reacted quicker than a ponderous Pedro
Miguel to poke the ball home from barely a yard out.
Substitute Steven
Berghuis thought he had added a third midway through the second half, only for
his goal to be ruled out after a VAR check for a handball by Gakpo in the
build-up.
There was brief
excitement for the remaining home supporters late on when Mohammed Muntari
prodded the ball into the net, but the whistle had long since gone for a foul
on Virgil van Dijk.
The Netherlands almost
piled more misery onto Qatar in stoppage time when Berghuis’ excellent curling
strike from range hit the crossbar.
Read more Sports
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
