Mendy messes up but Dutch are touch lucky
Late goals hand Van Gaal win
Louis van Gaal insisted he was not entirely happy. He grumbled away about sloppiness in possession and excessive dribbling by this team but his delight was clear enough as he waited to greet Cody Gakpo.
It was the fourth minute of stoppage time and just 10 minutes earlier Gakpo had headed in the opening goal. His reward upon substitution was to be greeted with a beaming grin, a high five and a slap on the back from his hard-to-please boss.
Holland were far from their most fluent. indeed, for spells, senegal were on top and carved out good opportunities before wilting.
‘We were fitter,’ said van Gaal. ‘The senegalese every two minutes were lying on the ground, which is why we played an extra eight minutes.
‘I admit we were too shoddy in possession. not a good match on our part but it was in terms of defence because we gave away very little. To be honest, i was calm. i always had the feeling we would score.’
The breakthrough came in the 84th minute, when Frenkie de Jong clipped a teasing pass forward into the penalty area and senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy made a misjudgment.
Mendy called for the ball and dashed from his line only for Gakpo to spring high off a run, leaping across the front of the Chelsea keeper and finding the net with a glancing header.
For the first time all evening, the incessant drumbeat of the senegalese fans ceased.
‘The emotion is quite different from an ordinary goal,’ said Psv Eindhoven winger Gakpo. ‘There is more emotion because you want to make everyone proud.’
Davy Klaassen added a second in the 99th minute, driving in the rebound after Mendy saved from fellow substitute Memphis Depay.
The two-goal defeat was cruel on senegal. They started brightly, as if determined to prove there was more about them than simply sadio Mane, Bayern Munich’s forward who is out injured.
But they came up against Andries noppert, a giant goalkeeper who was every inch the hero on his international debut.
Two years ago, noppert was without a club. last season, he was on the bench at Go ahead Eagles. now he plays for Heerenveen and this was his first cap, at the age of 28.
At 6ft 8in, he is the tallest player at the tournament and showed no signed of nerves. He was composed when ismaila sarr and Boulaye Dia flashed shots wide in the first half and made three fine saves in the second.
The first two, he made at 0-0. Down quickly to his left to save at his near post from Dia on the turn. Then he beat away a snapshot fired crisply, straight at his face, by idrissa Gueye.
Seconds after Gakpo’s goal, noppert produced his best save of the game. it was low to his left, tight against a post, to deny senegal substitute Pape Gueye.
Afterwards, the keeper quipped about being like van Gaal. ‘That doesn’t mean he can become a coach,’ said the Holland boss. ‘But i understand what he meant.
‘He has an open personality, quite direct and outspoken, that’s what he meant to say but you are not coached for that, you are coached for quality. He had to stop three balls and he did that perfectly.’
Holland created little in the first half and when they broke through senegal’s defence they were guilty of over- elaboration in front of goal. Gakpo opted not to shoot when well-placed, preferring to cut square to steven Bergwijn.
But his pass was out of reach for Bergwijn, who started up front with another Tottenham misfit, vincent Janssen, now playing in Belgium with Royal antwerp.
A good chance fell to De Jong in space in the box in the first half, but, like Gakpo, he over-complicated the situation. senegal scrambled to recover quickly and crowd him out as he tried twice to work the ball on to his right foot. Janssen made way for Depay, who is on his way back from a thigh injury, and deemed not fit enough to start. as senegal tired, he added an attacking dimension.
‘Memphis played an important role,’ said van Gaal, adding that his next step was to move up to 45 minutes against Ecuador, if he suffered no reaction.
Steven Berghuis whistled a 20yarder over towards the end of the first half and virgil van Dijk climbed unopposed to meet a corner early in the second, but could not keep his header down.
Noppert stood firm and Gakpo shattered the hopes of the african Champions before Klaassen added to their heartbreak.
‘We managed the game well,’ said senegal boss aliou Cisse, who lost abdou Diallo and Cheikhou Kouyate to injuries in the second half. ‘We had a definite plan, to press them high, but eventually tired and had to step back and strengthen in midfield.
‘We had counter attacks and created chances but didn’t score. With two players injured that became a big challenge. We lost a bit of intensity at that point.
‘We’re disappointed because we deserved better.’
SENEGAL (4-3-3): E Mendy 5.5; Sabaly 6, Koulibaly 6, Cisse 6.5, Diallo 6 (Jakobs 62min, 6); Kouyate 6.5 (P Gueye 73, 6.5), N Mendy 6.5, I Gueye 7; Diatta 6 (Jackson 74, 5), Dia 6.5 (Dieng 69, 6), Sarr 6.5. Booked: N Mendy, I Gueye. Manager: Aliou Cisse 6.
NETHERLANDS (3-4-3): Noppert 7.5; De Ligt 6, Van Dijk 6.5, Ake 7; Dumfries 6.5, Berghuis 6 (Koopmeiners 79), De Jong 7, Blind 6.5; GAKPO 8 (De Roon 90+4), Janssen 6 (Depay 62, 7), Bergwijn 6 (Klaassen 79). Scorers: Gakpo 84, Klaassen 90+9. Booked: De Ligt. Manager: Louis van Gaal 6.5. Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) 6. Attendance: 41,721.