Gakpo, Klassen seal victory for the Dutch
NEW DELHI: Netherlands battled past enterprising African champions Senegal 2-0 in an intense Group A World Cup game at the Al Thumama Stadium on Monday. Missing their injured talisman Sadio Mane, the African champions produced a spirited and disciplined display, only for the Dutch to find their goals late to collect full points.
Having missed three clear chances in the goalless first half, the Dutch broke the deadlock in the 84th minute when Frankie de Jong floated a superb cross from the left and young winger Cody Gakpo slipped in behind the Senegal defence to head in almost with the back of his head, beating goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Davy Klassen, a 79thminute substitute, then pounced on a rebound after Mendy had blocked a Memphis Depay shot—he too came on as a sub due to a hamstring issue—in the last stages of the eight minutes of added time.
The match was originally seen as a battle between Mane, Senegal’s inspiration in winning the Africa Cup of Nations and then qualifying for the World Cup, and Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dyke, Liverpool teammates till the last season and friends. Mane was forced to pull out due to the knee injury suffered while playing for Bayern Munich while Van Dyke is working to regain his best after a long injury layoff.
Senegal make inroads
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal’s preferred 5-3-2 formation came under strain straightaway as Senegal used the long pass to find their forwards, putting pressure on the defence with interpassing and runs within the box. But Senegal failed to get a clear look at the goal, invariably taking too much time to take a shot.
Senegal almost scored in the first minute. Ismaila Sarr pounced on a Matthijs De Ligt error and quickly pulled it back for Boulaye Dia. But his shot was blocked by Frenkie De Jong for a corner. A 22nd-minute curler from Ismaila Sarr then seemed set to beat goalkeeper Andries Noppert—at 6 ft 8 in the tallest player at this World Cup and surprisingly given his Netherlands debut at the World Cup. Van Dyke intervened with a header. Sarr’s pace repeatedly caught out Matthijs De Ligt.
The Dutch’s first miss came in the third minute when Cody Gakpo laid a perfect pass but Steven Bergwijn missed with goalkeeper Mendy out of position. In the 19th minute, a great counter saw the ball at De Jong’s foot but he took too long to shoot.
The Dutch tackles took their toll on Senegal as Boulaye Dia and Youssouf Sabaly went off injured.
The result doesn’t reflect the even battle, though the Dutch have got their most formidable group rivals out of the way.