Louis van Gaal’s gambles at each ends of the sphere 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 targets 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 present him his worldwide debut in a key World Cup recreation and simply two months after he was known as into the nationwide squad for the primary time.
“His high quality is he can cease balls and he did that thrice right this moment,” the Netherlands coach mentioned, “and he did it completely.”
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Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaasen offered the late targets to make sure the Dutch group’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 group’s first effort heading in the right direction. 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 group. The Senegalese drums and chants had been the dominant sound from the stands for a lot of the sport.
However Senegal’s principal downside was predictable: With out injured ahead Sadio Mane, it couldn’t convert any of its probabilities. “I believe we gave every thing and I believe we deserved a minimum of a degree from this recreation,” Senegal coach Aliou Cisse mentioned. “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 mentioned 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 taking part in components in each targets.
First, he linked up with De Jong close to the sting of the world earlier than the midfielder crossed to Gakpo for the primary objective. Depay’s run and shot deep in damage time led to the second objective for Klaasen — one in all 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 yr to guide his nation for a 3rd time. The substitutions offered “the breakthrough,” Van Gaal mentioned. “Memphis was a giant a part of that.”
SENEGAL’S TURNAROUND
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 one in all his most essential midfielders was carried off within the first recreation because the group misplaced Mane for all the World Cup to a proper leg damage.
Senegal gained the African Cup at first of the yr and was heralded as perhaps the perfect African group to ever come to a World Cup. With out Mane and now with a gap recreation loss, it is in a scrap to make it out of the group stage.
UNDER THE RADAR
Few folks had been speaking concerning the Dutch coming into this World Cup, however their document is extremely spectacular beneath Van Gaal they usually’re now via what he had recognized as their hardest take a look at of the group stage. “A 2-0 victory in opposition to the champions of the African Cup. I may be very very happy,” Van Gaal mentioned.
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The Netherlands can safe a spot within the spherical of 16 if the group beats Ecuador in its subsequent recreation. Senegal faces a must-win in opposition to host Qatar.
“That,” Cisse mentioned, “is sort of a ultimate now.”