QATAR 2022
The Netherlands disappoint on second day and could only draw against Ecuador
A football match between the Netherlands and Ecuador at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on November 25, 2022. (Photo by Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP)
DOHA, November 26, 2022 - The Netherlands and Senegal closed the second round of the group A matches at the World Cup in Qatar with a tie, in a match in which the Europeans were disappointing, even though the match was seemed to be going their way from the get go. The Netherlands first shot on goal resulted in a goal in the 6th minute after Cody Gakpo capitalised on an error by the rival defence.
Throughout the game, the Netherlands only had one more shot at goal, a very poor balance for a team from which much more was expected. For their part, the yellows, who dressed in blue yesterday, knew how to overcome the early goal and even managed to tie, but the goal from Ervis Estupiñán was annulled by VAR due to a disputed positional offside.
After the break, Ecuador dominated the game and eventually got their equaliser four minutes after the restart, with a good shot from their captain Enner Valencia. The Turkish Fenerbahce player kept the Orange defence in check throughout the game. At 59 minutes, Real Valladolid player Gonzalo Platas, who has had a great start to the season in the Spanish League, smashed a shot into the crossbar of the opposition goal, in what could have been Ecuador's winning goal.
In the second half, Gustavo Alfaro's men prevailed over Van Gaal's men and did their best to win. Throughout the match, they had 14 shots at goal, while the Dutch team had only two, a fact that makes it clear who did more merits on the pitch of the Khalifa Stadium.
The result, however, leaves the Dutch in a more advantageous position to qualify, since their last rival in this group stage, the hosts Qatar, lost again to Senegal yesterday. The Netherlands and Ecuador lead group A with four points each, with only one point difference over Senegal.
However, despite its superiority, Ecuador has a more complicated classification since it will face Senegal on the last day, although it is true that a draw is enough for them to go to the round of 16. The African squad, however, must win if they want to be in the tournament's next phase.
Throughout the game, the Netherlands only had one more shot at goal, a very poor balance for a team from which much more was expected. For their part, the yellows, who dressed in blue yesterday, knew how to overcome the early goal and even managed to tie, but the goal from Ervis Estupiñán was annulled by VAR due to a disputed positional offside.
After the break, Ecuador dominated the game and eventually got their equaliser four minutes after the restart, with a good shot from their captain Enner Valencia. The Turkish Fenerbahce player kept the Orange defence in check throughout the game. At 59 minutes, Real Valladolid player Gonzalo Platas, who has had a great start to the season in the Spanish League, smashed a shot into the crossbar of the opposition goal, in what could have been Ecuador's winning goal.
In the second half, Gustavo Alfaro's men prevailed over Van Gaal's men and did their best to win. Throughout the match, they had 14 shots at goal, while the Dutch team had only two, a fact that makes it clear who did more merits on the pitch of the Khalifa Stadium.
The result, however, leaves the Dutch in a more advantageous position to qualify, since their last rival in this group stage, the hosts Qatar, lost again to Senegal yesterday. The Netherlands and Ecuador lead group A with four points each, with only one point difference over Senegal.
However, despite its superiority, Ecuador has a more complicated classification since it will face Senegal on the last day, although it is true that a draw is enough for them to go to the round of 16. The African squad, however, must win if they want to be in the tournament's next phase.
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