Oranje limps to 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan; Keeper hurt days before World Cup opener
The Dutch national team struggled to a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan thanks to a late penalty by Cody Gakpo. But the victory also came with keeper Bart Verbruggen having to leave the field injured. The final test before Oranje’s World Cup opener against Japan on Sunday was not the clear statement national coach Ronald Koeman had hoped for, NOS reports.
Gakpo also scored from the penalty spot in the first half. But after a late equalizer by Igor Sergeev, shortly following a red card for Guus Til, the Nehtelrands seemed headed for a devastating result. Gakpo’s 2-1 in the eighth minute of injury time narrowly averted disaster.
According to coach Koeman, the team made many of the same mistakes as they did on Wednesday when they lost the friendly against Algeria (0-1). “We created a lot of chances, but in two matches we only scored twice from a penalty,” he told ANP on the sidelines of an empty Icahn Stadium in New York.
“In these two matches, we should have scored at least three goals from open play,” Koeman said. “We won’t get very far at the World Cup like this. Today, we already had three big chances in the first half. Summerville handling the ball poorly, Malen with that chance in front of the goal, and Reijnders with that header. So we are creating chances, but we are struggling to score goals.”
With the loss of Jurriën Timber, multiple missed chances, mediocre play, and now also Verbruggen’s injury, Oranje looks far from ready for the World Cup.
According to the broadcaster, the Oranje’s central defender position seems to be cursed. After Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij, Jurriên Timber also dropped out of the squad with an injury this week. Fortunately, the Netherlands still has a strong and reliable option in Jan Paul van Hecke, but the squad is becoming thin. Lutsharel Geertruida joined the team on Monday as Timber’s replacement.
And now, Oranje may also be facing a keeper problem. First-choice Bart Verbruggen collided with Abdukodir Khusanov after halftime, injuring his hip. He continued playing for a while, but was eventually substituted by Mark Flekken.
Koeman doesn’t yet know what to do about the keepers, or whether Flekken or Robin Roefs will step in. A lot depends on how badly Verbruggen is hurt. “I think he had a problem with his hip. We will have to wait and see. He will be examined,” the coach said.
