Those who expected a victory with authority from the Netherlands, appointed as the main favorites of Group A in the World Cup, were surprised this Monday (21). The team beat Senegal 2-0, but the result was only built after 40 minutes of the second half, with goals from Gakpo and Klaassen.
Even without the star Sadio Mané, cut off by injury, the African formation managed to keep the rivals under control during almost the entire confrontation and was dangerous in the counterattacks, mainly with Ismaila Sarr.
Dutch main striker Memphis Depay started on the bench. The Barcelona player has been living since September with an injury to his left thigh. PSV’s Cody Gakpo was the substitute.
With the 0-0 remaining, coach Louis van Gaal had to appeal to Depay at 17min of the second half. But he kept Gakpo, in theory his replacement, on the field. It worked. In the 40th minute, the young PSV player took advantage of a perfect cross from De Jong to score the goal of the game.
With eight minutes of added time, Holland reached the second goal practically at the end, taking advantage of the counterattack. Depay kicked without much power, but goalkeeper Mendy rebounded, and Klaassen took advantage.
With the result, Holland is tied at the top of Group A with Ecuador, with three points and the same goal difference (the Ecuadorians also won by 2-0). The next round will pit the two teams against each other. The Senegalese will try to recover in the Cup against Qatar, the home team. The two matches take place on Friday (25).
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