Heads up, Oranje wave is advancing

VALENCIENNES, FRANCE— The Oranje procession will roll into a Women’s World Cup semifinal for the first time.

The parade of fans, covered head to toe in orange, the brass band — and, of course, the free kick specialists on the field.

In the sweltering afternoon heat of northeast France, the Netherlands relied on a pair of headers off free kicks by Sherida Spitse to beat Italy 2-0 in a quarterfinal game Saturday.

Vivianne Miedema scored off Spitse’s delivery from the left side in the 70th minute to claim her 61st goal in 80 appearances for the Netherlands.

So did Stefanie van der Gragt 10 minutes later, powering in a theader when Spitse swung in a free kick from the right.

As World Cup debutantes four years ago in Canada, the Dutch only made it to the round of 16 but laid the foundations to win the European Championship in 2017.

“I didn’t expect to be in the semifinals of this World Cup,” Miedema said. “We’ve been complaining that we’re not playing the best football but in the end we’re in the semis. We’ve done amazing and we can be really proud.”

Expect an influx of thousands of Dutch fans to Lyon for the semifinal against Sweden on Wednesday, just as they have painted towns orange across a tournament that has struggled to attract crowds.

The women’s team is flying the flag for Dutch soccer in international competitions, with the men failing to even qualify for the 2016 European Championship or 2018 World Cup.

“I’m not really surprised with how far we’ve come, but I’m very proud of the team,” Netherlands coach Sarina Wiegman said.

Italy had missed the last four Women’s World Cups. It made the quarterfinals at the inaugural edition in 1991 and was knocked out in the group stage in 1999. “The women’s game has been discovered and appreciated back home, so it’s a big deal,” Italy coach Milena Bertolini said. “I believe the girls have a greater confidence and awareness of what great players they are.”