November 29, 2022, 5:54 PM
November 29, 2022, 5:54 PM
The Netherlands qualified for the round of 16 of the World Cup as first in group A, followed by Senegal, after defeating Qatar (2-0), thus complying on Tuesday with the road map of the coach Louis van Gaal, who acknowledged at a press conference that “that was the objective”.
“We were much better with the ball than against Ecuador (1-1), more precise, more effective”, analyzed Van Gaal after the good game of his team, who against the host team was reunited with his best version after the doubts shown on the second date.
“The difference is that Memphis (Depay) was playing and participated in the two goals. We had to find a way to integrate Memphis into the game after his absence (due to injury)”, stressed the Dutch coach, who fielded the starting FC Barcelona player for the first time in this World Cup.
“We don’t have any players injured, so we can start the most important phase of the tournament in a good frame of mind. We are the first in the group, that was the goal,” Van Gaal said at a press conference after a clash in which Cody Gakpo scored again.
For the third consecutive date in this World Cup, Gakpo opened the scoring for the Netherlands, adding a third goal that places him as the tournament’s top scorer along with Ecuadorian Enner Valencia and Frenchman Kylian Mbappé.
“The fact of having scored three goals? It’s always important to score, of course, but I’m happy to help the team.” said the PSV Eindhoven player, who continued his goalscoring idyll in Qatar.
“It was very important to win this game and above all to continue improving our game. We want to win every game, one after the other, because our goal is to be world champions”, confessed the 23-year-old attacker.
With the round of 16 ticket in his pocket, thanks in part to Gakpo’s goals, the ‘oranje’ captain Virgil Van Dijk recognized that the game of the Dutch team can improve.
“Everybody feels we can and must do better. We can’t afford a bad game in the round of 16. (Vs Qatar) There was some pressure after the disappointing last game (1-1 draw against Ecuador),” explained the 31-year-old, who is playing his first World Cup.
“We knew we had to play better football and gain confidence for the next games. I think we did it. We didn’t give anything away and we won 2-0. But, of course, not everything was perfect”, analyzed the Liverpool footballer.
