Oranje finished top of their group with a comfortable victory over Qatar
The Netherlands finished top of Group A in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Oranje beat Qatar 2-0 with goals from Cody Gakpo and Frenkie de Jong. Senegal beat Ecuador to finish second in the group and join the Netherlands in the knockout stages. Louis van Gaal’s side will face the team that finishes second in group B at 4 pm on Saturday.
Cody Gakpo got his third tournament goal in three games after 26 minutes, with de Jong tapping home just after the halftime break to double their lead.
Louis van Gaal made a few changes to his side, with Memphis Depay making his first start of the tournament. He also tried his third different midfield pairing in three games, with Maarten de Roon now partnering Frenkie de Jong in midfield.
The Netherlands took the lead after 26 minutes, and again it was Cody Gakpo who scored it. The PSV winger backheeled the ball to Davy Klaassen, who gave it to him back before he placed it into the bottom corner. Gakpo is increasing his valuation with every match as some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Manchester United, are monitoring the 23-year-old.
Oranje doubled their lead shortly after halftime. A chipped cross by Klaassen found Depay, whose volley was saved by the Qatar goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham before De Jong reacted quickest to score his second goal for the national team.
Steven Berghuis nearly got on the scoresheet late on with a curled effort from the edge of the area, which hit the crossbar.
Despite the comfortable victory, Oranje was dull and uninspired again. Questions will be asked about van Gaal not giving Xavi Simons or Noa Lang a chance in this match, opting for the much older Vincent Janssen and Wout Weghorst instead. The Dutch will need to improve if they want to progress past the next round.
"We did it as a team. Everyone helps each other. In the end I've been to the goal a few times now, but we do this together," said Cody Gakpo. He is the first Dutch player to score in his first three World Cup matches, having also put in a goal against both Senegal and Ecuador. “We were more solid on the ball than in the past games. And we won."
Oranje’s opponent for their Round of 16 knockout game will be determined by the two remaining matches on Tuesday. Iran takes on the United States in their Group B match at 8 p.m. At the same time, Wales will host England.
The points which are up for grabs in those matches are crucial. England is currently at the top of the group with four points, while Iran has three, the United States has two, and Wales has one point.
The other Group A match ended with Ecuador losing to Senegal by a score of 1-2. That means that Senegal is also guaranteed a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament. They will take on the winner of Group B also on Saturday.
