Netherlands beat Chile, win Group A

With two goals late in the second half, the Netherlands dispatched World Cup Group B rivals Chile to win their group Monday evening. Oranje won all three games in the group stage, handily beating Spain 5-1 and beating Australia in a challenging 3-2 duel. Chile also advanced out of the group, having also beaten Australia and Spain. Chile took control of the game straight away, maintaining much of the possession through 20 minutes. The Dutch began to turn things around with strong counterattacks let by Arjen Robben. There was nothing between the two teams at halftime, and they both held their positioning through the 66th minute, when the Netherlands began attacking more and keeping better control of the ball. Following several Dutch chances, a long kick from well outside the box was headed hard by Leroy Fer past the Chile’s Claudio Bravo and into the corner of the net to put Holland up 1-0 just minutes after being substituted into the game for Wesley Sneijder. The Dutch retreated on defence after the goal, giving a few chances to Jorge Valdivia and Alexis Sanchez. Oranje held strong as the game entered its closing minutes. An Arjen Robben run into the box pulled defenders out of position, and a low cross to an advancing Memphis Depay was knocked home in the 92nd minute to put the Netherlands up 2-0. The final whistle blew about 30 seconds after the restart. Depay, also a sub, entered the game in the 69th minute for Jeremain Lens. With Monday’s victory over Australia, defending World Cup and European Champions Spain finished third in the group with three points. Both teams exited the tournament at the conclusion of their match. The Netherlands will move on to play the team that takes second place in Group A on June 29 at 6 p.m. All Group A teams play Monday night, with Brazil, Mexico and Croatia able to finish in first or second place. Cameroon has already been eliminated. Chile will play the winner of Group A on June 28 at 6 p.m.