Netherlands strikes late to beat Senegal 2-0 at World Cup

Louis van Gaal’s gambles at each ends of the sector paid off for the Netherlands.

Up entrance, Memphis Depay returned from damage as a second-half substitute to assist spark the assault into life because the Netherlands scored two late objectives to beat Senegal 2-0 Monday on the World Cup.

On the again, Netherlands goalkeeper Andries Noppert pulled off three key saves to maintain the African champions at bay after Van Gaal determined to provide him his worldwide debut in a key World Cup recreation and simply two months after he was referred to as into the nationwide squad for the primary time.

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“His high quality is he can cease balls and he did that thrice at the moment,” the Netherlands coach stated, “and he did it completely.”

Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaasen supplied the late objectives to make sure the Dutch workforce’s profitable begin at its first World Cup look since 2014, when Van Gaal was additionally coach.

Gakpo rose to look a header in from a cross by Frenkie de Jong within the 84th minute with the workforce’s first effort on the right track. Klaasen added a second proper on the finish of eight minutes of stoppage time by slotting in after Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy solely weakly blocked a shot from Depay.

The orange-shirted Dutch followers had been subdued till the late strikes as Senegal was the extra energetic workforce. The Senegalese drums and chants had been the dominant sound from the stands for a lot of the sport.

However Senegal’s primary drawback was predictable: with out injured ahead Sadio Mane, it couldn’t convert any of its probabilities.

“I feel we gave every part, and I feel we deserved at the very least a degree from this recreation,” Senegal coach Aliou Cisse stated. “However, in fact, Sadio being lacking is an issue for us.”

Depay, who has solely simply recovered from a hamstring damage, was placed on by Van Gaal with about half-hour to go after the veteran coach stated the day earlier than that he wasn’t positive if the Barcelona ahead was prepared for motion.

He determined to see if he was, and Depay responded by enjoying components in each objectives.

First, he linked up with De Jong close to the sting of the world earlier than the midfielder crossed to Gakpo for the primary aim. Depay’s run and shot deep in damage time led to the second aim for Klaasen — certainly one of 4 substitutes within the match. It sealed a Dutch victory and a sixteenth recreation unbeaten for the Netherlands because the 71-year-old Van Gaal, the oldest coach on the World Cup, returned from retirement final 12 months to steer his nation for a 3rd time.

The substitutions supplied “the breakthrough,” Van Gaal stated. “Memphis was an enormous a part of that.”

The lengthy damage time — it stretched out to almost 9 minutes — was partly due to a serious-looking damage to Senegal central midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, who left on a stretcher clutching his proper leg. Cisse watched solemnly as certainly one of his most necessary midfielders was carried off within the first recreation because the workforce misplaced Mane for your complete World Cup to a proper leg damage.

Senegal received the African Cup at first of the 12 months and was heralded as perhaps one of the best African workforce to ever come to a World Cup. With out Mane and now with a gap recreation loss, it’s in a scrap to make it out of the group stage.

Few folks had been speaking in regards to the Dutch coming into this World Cup, however their document is very spectacular underneath Van Gaal they usually’re now by means of what he had recognized as their hardest take a look at of the group stage.

“A 2-0 victory towards the champions of the African Cup. I could be very happy,” Louis van Gaal stated.

The Netherlands can safe a spot within the spherical of 16 if the workforce beats Ecuador in its subsequent recreation. Senegal faces a must-win towards host Qatar.

“That,” Cisse stated, “is sort of a last now.”