Netherlands booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over United States today.
The first chance of the game fell to Gregg Berhalter’s men, and it’s one that ought to have resulted in a goal.
Tyler Adams picked out Christian Pulisic, but the Chelsea man saw his effort kept out by the left foot of Andries Noppert.
And Pulisic was left to rue this miss, as Netherlands took the lead just moments later. A beautiful passing move resulted in Denzel Dumfries cutting back for Memphis Depay, who swept into the bottom corner.
Both sides continued to push for the next goal. Daley Blind mishit from Cody Gakpo’s pass, and Timothy Weah had a shot pushed away by Noppert.
On the stroke of half-time, the Oranje doubled their advantage. Dumfries was again the creator, cutting back for Blind to fire in at the near post.
The Stars and Stripes had an early chance to pull one back in the second half when the ball fell kindly to Tim Ream from a corner. However, he could only direct his attempt straight at Noppert.
Meanwhile, Netherlands went for a third. Matt Turner had to be at his best to keep the scoreline down, first preventing Walker Zimmerman from finding his own net, before making a fine double save to stop Teun Koopmeiners and Depay.
With 15 minutes remaining, Steven Bergwijn almost gifted the US a way back into the game. His misjudged back pass played Haji Wright through on goal. The forward rounded the goalkeeper but could had his shot cleared off the line by Dumfries.
But just seconds later, Wright managed to halve the deficit. He was found by Pulisic’s low cross, and he diverted it into the far corner with a flick of his right foot.
Netherlands’ worries were soon eased, as they reclaimed their two-goal lead just five minutes later. Blind’s cross found Dumfries completely unmarked, and the 26-year-old volleyed into the bottom corner.
This was the final notable action of the game, sealing a 3-1 victory for Louis van Gaal’s side. They will face either Argentina or Australia in the next round.
Netherlands
Andries Noppert (7/10) – Made a few impressive saves, most notably one early on from Pulisic.
Denzel Dumfries (9/10) *MOTM* – A world class performance. Got a goal, provided two assists, made a goalline clearance and kept Pulisic quiet.
Jurrien Timber (7/10) – Won most of his battles and looked good on the ball. Likely to keep his place.
Virgil van Dijk (7/10) – Composed as ever and let little past him.
Nathan Ake (7/10) – Helped limit the number of clear-cut chances that the US could create.
Daley Blind (9/10) – Took his goal well and got a late assist. Ran to the end.
Marten de Roon (5/10) – Battled hard, but wasn’t able to take control of the game. Substituted at half-time.
Frenkie de Jong (6/10) – A bit of a mixed bag. Had a few nice touches, but also sometimes struggled.
Davy Klaassen (5/10) – Involved in the opener, but did little else. Substituted at half-time.
Cody Gakpo (7/10) – Linked up well and contributed to the opening goal. Unable to get on the scoresheet for the first time at the tournament.
Memphis Depay (8/10) – Scored a wonderful goal early on. Always a threat.
Substitutes
Teun Koopmeiners (6/10)
Steven Bergwijn (6/10)
Xavi Simons (6/10)
Matthijs de Ligt (NA/10)
Wout Weghorst (NA/10)
USA
Matt Turner (8/10) – A good performance despite the result. Made several good saves, and couldn’t be blamed for any of the goals.
Sergino Dest (5/10) – Got into plenty of promising positions, but his final ball was often disappointing.
Walker Zimmerman (5/10) – Had a tough game up against Depay and Gakpo. Almost scored an own goal in the second half.
Tim Ream (5/10) – Often unable to cope with the Dutch forwards. Missed a glorious chance early in the second half.
Antonee Robinson (5/10) – Energetic down the left. Struggled to deal with Dumfries.
Tyler Adams (5/10) – Let Depay get away from him for the opening goal. Didn’t do enough to win the midfield battle, although he did create an early chance for Pulisic.
Yunus Musah (7/10) – A bright spark in midfield. Combative and good on the ball.
Weston McKennie (6/10) – Worked hard in midfield and showed some quality on the ball.
Timothy Weah (6/10) – Provided some threat in the first half. Mellowed in the second before being substituted.
Jesus Ferreira (5/10) – Did very little of note. Substituted at half-time.
Christian Pulisic (6/10) – Drifted in and out of the game. Got an assist, but also squandered a glorious chance to break the deadlock.
Substitutes
Giovanni Reyna (5/10)
Haji Wright (7/10)
Brendan Aaronson (5/10)
DeAndre Yedlin (5/10)
Jordan Morris (NA/10)
