Now that we are through with the Group stages, the FIFA World Cup 2022 has now reached the knockout stages, where the remaining 16 teams will now have only one shot to advance further. Now neither will the points matter, nor will goal difference. It’s either win or lose from here on!
In the first Round of 16 match, Netherlands defeated the USA 3-1 in convincing fashion at the Khalifa International Stadium to become the first team to qualify for the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022. The 2010 runner-up are now a step closer to the World title, having missed out on goal in the 2010 edition, losing to Spain in the finals.
The match from the beginning was pretty one-sided and dominated by the Neds as the USA struggled to cope with the aggressive playing style for which the Dutch team is known. Netherlands managed to take an early lead in the first half itself with goals from Memphis Depay and Daley Blind in the 10th and 46th minutes respectively, giving the Netherlands a 2-0 halftime lead.
10 minutes into the first half, Depay opened the scoreboard for Netherlands after a series of 20 interrupted passes that ended when Depay struck the ball into the American goal from inside the box after Dumfries sent in a clinical cutback. This goal gave the Netherlands a much needed early lead in their crucial match. Netherlands continued dominating the ball possession with continuous and accurate passes through the rest of the half, as USA was struggling to pick the passes through the lines.
2 minutes were added as extra time, and just 1 minute in, Dumfries created yet another assist from the right as he crossed the ball into the American box. Daley Blind sprinted in just in time to receive the cross and shoot it into the nets to give Netherlands a comfortable 2-0 lead as the referee signaled the end of the first half.
USA got the ball rolling in the second half, but were quickly pushed back by the dominant Dutch team, who repeatedly threatened on the counter-attack. The actions continued back-and-forth and USA were finally able to break through the Dutch shackles in the 75th minute when Haji Wright score the first goal for the USA. Pulisic crossed the ball into the box where Wright was marked, who barely just managed to push the ball into the goal. It was a rather clumsy finish by Wright, but the Americans won’t mind as they managed to close the gap with the goal.
While the USA was delighted with their goal, a few minutes later with the timer showing 80 minutes, tragedy struck them as Netherlands scored their third goal of the match. After providing assists for the previous two Dutch goals, Denzel Dumfries finally gets one under his belt as he scored from a left-footed volley following a sublime cross in by Daley Blind. The gap in the scoreline has now increased and the USA are now trailing 3-1.
The match continued and the Dutch were now simply wasting time, keeping the ball at their feet and just running the clock down, knowing that they have taken a convincing lead and are certain to win. USA do manage to fight back in the final moments of the game as Pulisic sprinted into the box with the ball but Frenkie De Jong stops the move with a blatant foul, for which he gets slapped a yellow card. The referee blew the final whistle and the match finally ended with Netherlands clinching a comfortable 3-1 win to advance to the quarter finals.
Though USA have been knocked out of the tournament, they nonetheless did really well till this point. The youthful side will have to take their learnings from Qatar into the 2026 World Cup, when they will be joint-hosts. As for the Netherlands, they have advanced to the last eight of the FIFA 2022 and will face the winner of the Argentina Vs Australia match in the quarter finals.
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