Dutch delight was on display at Khalifa International Stadium as the Netherlands ran out 3-1 winners over a young United States side, booking passage into the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup while remaining on the hunt for a fourth appearance in the World Cup final and keen to finally add an elusive tournament win to their footballing story.
Despite many feeling that the United States could have a chance to cause one of the biggest upsets in history for the CONCACAF side - which nearly came to fruition after Christian Pulisic found himself free and clear in the third minute before only placing his effort right at Andries Noppert - Oranje jumped out ahead in the tenth minute through star man Memphis Depay who slotted smartly past Matt Turner after Cody Gakpo drove play through the center channel before laying off to Denzel Dumfries who squared across goal after picking up Depay’s run into the box.
Berhalter’s troops were hardly outplayed on balance, however, and by the 30th minute of action, the US had boasted the lion’s share of possession while looking expectedly strong when they were able to transition at pace but lacked the final ball as a few chances to really hit the Dutch underbelly went begging if better quality of pass was evident.
The United States kept trying to turn the screw as the final fifteen minutes in the half roared toward the half-time interval, with Timothy Weah doing well to test Andries Noppert from range with a thunderbolt from outside the box, while Sergiño Dest’s regular underlapping runs nearly bore fruit.
But the European giants would produce a hammer blow in stoppage time after Van Gaal’s men once again found joy down the right channel before Dumfries bagged his second assist on the night when he squared back to the center of the penalty area for a late run from Daley Blind that saw the veteran defender finish in a similar fashion to Depay earlier.
Changes from both managers at the half saw the landscape shift further as the Netherlands looked to add more pace in the forward line through Steven Bergwijn and central security in the vein of Teun Koopmeiners while Gio Reyna finally got his chance in Qatar when he replaced the ineffective Jesús Ferreira, with both nations creating multiple passages of play that could have result in a goal in the opening ten minutes of the second half.
Despite the changes, the three-time World Cup finalists still looked the better of the two sides from an attacking perspective as the Netherlands were more capable of making something happen with the chances they were presented with but a fluke goal by substitute Haji Wright would cut the deficit in half after Christian Pulisic squared into the box after being put into space by DeAndre Yedlin before the center forward’s awkward touch somehow looped over Noppert.
Denzel Dumfries restored the two-goal lead in the 80th minute, however, when Blind turned provider and found the Inter Milan right-back free at the back post to volley past Turner and it would prove the final action on the scoresheet while pushing the Netherlands into the quarterfinals and a potential date with Argentina.
Netherlands Player Ratings
- Andries Noppert (GK): 7 - Came up with some strong saves in key moments in what was just his fourth cap for the Netherlands. Still shakey in some respects but good overall.
- Jurriën Timber (RCB): 6.5 - The Ajax starlet was okay on the night and remains good enough to keep out Bayern Munich center-back Matthijs de Ligt.
- Virgil van Dijk (CB): 6.5 - A big error at the back nearly gifted a goal to the United States but overall the Liverpool man was decent but hardly at his best.
- Nathan Aké (LCB): 6.5 - Produced a similar performance as his partners across the back three and will likely keep his place in the team in the quarterfinals.
- Denzel Dumfries (RWB): 9 - Brilliant on the night and involved directly in all three goals after bagging a brace of assists and a goal to top off a fantastic performance.
- Daley Blind (LWB): 8.5 - Turned the clock back once again on both sides of the ball and chipped in with a goal and an assist in an overall excellent evening.
- Martin de Roon (CM): 6.5 - Was decent on the day and performed to the standard that is more or less expected, but changes on the tactics board meant his night was over.
- Frenkie de Jong (CM): 6.5 - Did well to run the show from deeper as expected but remained susceptible to being caught out in central spaces at times.
- Davy Klaassen (CAM): 6.5 - An okay outing from the veteran Dutch midfielder but a tactical change by Van Gaal saw him sacrificed at the half-time interval.
- Cody Gakpo (RF): 7.5 - Did not get his name on the scoresheet in either capacity but he was influential once again. Will fancy his chances to score again before the tournament is over.
- Memphis Depay (LF): 8 - The Dutch superstar was excellent on the night and looked odds-on to bag a brace given the chances that fell to him but his coming into form is at the right time for the Netherlands.
- Teun Koopmeiners (Sub): 6.5
- Steven Bergwijn (Sub): 6.5
- Xavi Simons (Sub): 6
- Matthijs de Ligt (Sub): N/A
- Wout Weghorst (Sub): N/A
United States Player Ratings
- Matt Turner (GK): 6.5 - Tough to blame him for any of the goals surrendered on the night and did make a handful of strong saves despite the result.
- Sergiño Dest (RB): 6 - Started brightly and looked to possibly be in line for an influential performance on the night but his levels dropped before being subbed off.
- Walker Zimmerman (CB): 7 - Many would have called for Cameron Carter-Vickers for the XI tonight but Zimmerman performed well, justifying his selection.
- Tim Ream (CB): 6 - His legs really showed tonight perhaps for the first time in Qatar as the pace the Netherlands could break at exposed him in a few phases of play.
- Antonee Robinson (LB): 6.5 - The end of a good tournament for the Fulham left-back. Decent on the night but credit to him across play in Qatar.
- Tyler Adams (DM): 6.5 - A tough ask for Adams to be at the base of the midfield against a talented attacking side. Was solid enough but did not hit the same level seen previously.
- Yunus Musah (CM): 6 - Was direct when on the ball as best he could and this was probably his worst performance in Qatar. Was hardly poor but did not reach a higher gear consistently.
- Weston McKennie (CM): 6.5 - Tough to ask the Juventus midfield to complete a full 90 after his recent injury earlier this year. Was not at his best but was not a problem area.
- Timothy Weah (RW): 6.5 - Calls to start Weah in the 9 role were not answered. Despite that, he had one of the better chances for the US before coming off.
- Christian Pulisic (LW): 7 - An assist on the night for “Captain America” putting him on a goal and two assists in the tournament. Showed what he can offer to a club willing to trust him.
- Jesús Ferreira (CF): 5.5 - Questions will be asked as to why Berhalter called upon Ferreira from a tactical perspective and he hardly justified his selection on the night.
- Gio Reyna (Sub): 6
- Brenden Aaronson (Sub): 6
- Haji Wright (Sub): 7
- DeAndre Yedlin (Sub): 6
- Jordan Morris (Sub): 6
