QATAR: With a 2-0 victory over Qatar, Netherlands qualified for the World Cup’s last 16 stages by securing the top spot in Group A.
Qatar was outclassed by Netherlands
After losing to Senegal 3-1, the Qataris were out of contention for the knockout stages of the World Cup. Despite spending a lot of money on cutting-edge facilities to host the World Cup, they failed again on the field.
The Qataris had their moments in a lacklustre first half, forcing a few corners and posing a threat on the edge of the Dutch area, but Gakpo scored a gut-wrenching goal as soon as they bared their teeth.
Cody Gakpo scored his third tournament goal midway through the first half, and Frenkie de Jong added a second shortly after the break.
The team led by Louis van Gaal advanced to the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they will face the runner-up from Group B, which could be either England, Iran, the United States, or Wales.
As a consequence of the defeat to Netherlands, Qatar became the first host nation in World Cup history not to earn a single point or register a win.
Gakpo was the star of the day for Netherlands. He has played exceptionally throughout the tournament so far. Gakpo scored in the 26th minute to give his team the lead in the match.
He scored with a header against Senegal in the opener and with his left against Ecuador. He completed his perfect hat trick with a right-footed shot from inside the area against Qatar.
Memphis Depay, placed at the far post, received the ball from a cross by Davy Klaassen that deflected off a defender’s head. The goalkeeper saved Depay’s close-range effort, but De Jong, who was in the vicinity, poked it into the empty net from a few yards out to make double the Netherlands lead.
The Dutch missed a goal after Gakpo seemed to have handled the ball in the build-up to the goal, but they still cruised to victory despite Qatar’s lack of quality to mount a comeback.
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