The Oranje squad needs to hit the road soon. A decisive win against Tunisia, bolstered by a record-equalling 12th own goal of the tournament along with goals from Brian Brobbey and Jan Paul van Hecke, ensured that the Netherlands topped Group F, edging out Japan.
This victory spares them from a matchup with Brazil in the knockout stage, setting up an exciting encounter with Morocco in Monterrey instead. Having arrived in southern Texas nearly a month ago, the specially modified bus, a familiar sight at major tournaments, now faces a journey exceeding 1,000 miles before their match on Monday in northern Mexico.
The traditional procession of Dutch supporters to the stadium earlier that day saw an influx of Kansas City locals, who typically refrain from donning orange due to the color’s association with the Chiefs’ NFL rivals, the Denver Broncos, but made an exception for this occasion. However, heavy rain and lightning forced an early end to the pre-match celebrations, prompting a shelter-in-place order at the venue, commonly known as Arrowhead Stadium. Thankfully, the order was lifted an hour before kick-off as the threat of storms subsided, though fans still needed ponchos to deal with the elements during the second half.
Ronald Koeman defended Frenkie de Jong against media criticism after the midfielder remarked, “in reality, many people don’t understand football” following their 5-1 victory over Sweden in the previous match. Despite injury concerns, the Barcelona star excelled again as part of a nearly full-strength lineup, with only Tottenham’s Mickey van de Ven and Crysencio Summerville absent due to prior yellow cards.
Meanwhile, Hervé Renard, who was vacationing in Senegal when he received the call to succeed Sabri Lamouchi after Tunisia’s 5-1 loss to Sweden, was overseeing his 145th game as an international manager. Having previously led five different African nations, including two tenures with Zambia, the charismatic 57-year-old hinted that he might consider remaining with the Carthage Eagles after this tournament, stating, “I missed Africa.”
However, Renard may reconsider after witnessing his team’s defensive struggles in the opening minutes. They could have taken the lead within 70 seconds when Ismael Gharbi, one of four changes made from the heavy loss against Japan, squandered a golden chance in the Dutch penalty area following a pass from Hazem Mastouri. The Netherlands struck first just moments later when Ellyes Skhiri accidentally redirected a dangerous cross from Denzel Dumfries into his own net, matching the own goal record set in Qatar four years ago before the group stages concluded. Brobbey extended the lead when an unmarked Virgil van Dijk set up the Sunderland striker from a free-kick.
Tunisia’s small contingent of fans in the stadium likely feared the worst at that moment. Yet, they could have pulled back if Anis Ben Slimane of Norwich had managed to direct his header a yard either side of Bart Verbruggen.
With Japan tied with Sweden at halftime, the Netherlands might have been forgiven for easing off. Dumfries nearly added a third goal early in the second half, but his shot was blocked.
Shortly thereafter, Mastouri’s header from a corner taken by Hannibal Mejbri coincided with news that Daizen Maeda had given Japan the lead in Dallas. Fortunately for the Dutch, Van Hecke’s header from a corner restored their two-goal advantage, especially as cheers erupted for Anthony Elanga’s equalizer for Sweden displayed on the big screen.
A delightful lob from Tijjani Reijnders that hit the crossbar would have capped off the Netherlands’ performance, while substitute Memphis Depay nearly executed a stunning acrobatic goal late in the match. Nevertheless, Koeman is aware that a seasoned Morocco team will pose a significantly tougher challenge than a struggling Tunisia.
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