Match report: Senegal 0-2 Netherlands
Group A: Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen got the goals as the Nethlands left it late to secure victory over Senegal, the African champions. Jonathan Wilson reports from the Al Thumama Stadium.
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Group A: The Netherlands join Ecuador on top of Group A, with three points each after both nations won their opening games 2-0.
Full time: Senegal 0-2 Netherlands
The Netherlands take the points. They left it late but ultimately Louis van Gaal’s side got the job done against opposition that had a couple of chances but ultimately created very little. Cody Gakpo opened the scoring in the 84th minute with a brave header at the end of a brilliantly timed run. On as a substitute, Davy Klaassen put the game beyond doubt deep in injury time by capitalising on an error from Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
GOAL! Senegal 0-2 Netherlands (Klaassen 90+9)
Klaassen makes sure! A shot from Depay is parried into the path of Klaassen by Edouard Mendy and the substitute rifles home on the follow-up. Mendy, who was at fault for the first goal, definitely should have done better there.
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90+7 min: Depay tries to keep the ball down in the corner but Senegal win it back and try to addvance upfield. They win a free-kick deep inside their own half with only seconds remaining but give the ball away.
90+5 min: Papy Mendy is booked for something or other. Apologies, I didn’t see what.
90+4 min: Netherlands substitution: Marten De Roon on for goalscorer Cody Gakpo.
90+3 min: Koulibally plays the ball wide to Youssef Sabally, who sends an excellent cross towards the far post. Bamba Dieng’s poor header loops high and wide. An excellent chance goes begging.
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90 min: We’ll have eight minutes of added time, which seems rather a lot all things considered.
88 min: Back to that Dutch goal, which was well taken by Gakpo, who showed courage in leaping for the header knowing that he was almost certain to get clattered from behind by the advancing Edouard Mendy. The cross from Frenkie De Jong was sublime, it should also be noted.
86 min: Netherlands goalkeeper Andries Noppert stretches every inch of his lanky frame to get a strong left hand on a Papa Gueye shot from didstance that looked to be sneaking into the bottom corner. Good save.
GOAL! Senegal 0-1 Netherlands (Gakpo 84)
Netherlands lead! A brilliantly timed run sees Cody Gakpo get in behind the Senegal defence to connect with a De Jong cross and steer a glancing header past the onrushing Edouard Mendy from the edge of the six-yard box.
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80 min: A second half that started badly has gone progressively downhill. It’s incredibly scrappy. A hopeful cross into the Netherlands box sees Ismaila Sarr get his head to the ball but he’s unable to steer it on target. He protests to referee Wilton Sampaio that he was being held by Nathan Ake and while he definitely has a case, no more is made of it.
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78 min: Netherlands double-substitution: Davy Klaassen and Teun Koopmeiners on for Stevens Berghuis and Bergwijn.
77 min: The stadium attendance is announced as 41,721, which is 1,721 over capacity. Meanwhile back in reality, it is nothing like full and hasn’t been at any point during the game.
75 min: Senegal double-substitution: Nicolas Jackson and Papa Gueye on for Krepin Diatta and Cheikou Kouyate.
74 min: Save! Noppert saves well from Idrissa Gueye, who made his job easier by shooting straight at him when the goal was looked to be at his mercy.
70 min: Cheikou Kouayate is lying flat on his back with his hands behind his head after doing himself a mischief and is about to leave the field on a stretcher. He seems to have either pulled his hamstring while jumping for a high ball or jarred his knee as a result of landing awkwardly.
69 min: Senegal substitution: Boulaye Dia makes way for Marseille’s Bamba Dieng, who received a long, long touchline pep-talk from his manager Aliou Cisse as he waited to come on.
66 min: Boulaye Diaye shoots on the turn from a tight angle, forcing Andres Noppert to save for the Netherlands at his near post. I think that’s the would be copper’s first save of the game.
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64 min: Senegal break upfield with Diatta on the ball. He’s forced backwords and picks out Sabally on his inside. The return pass is put out for a throw-in courtesy of a leaden touch from Diatta. This second half is being played at a quite pedestrian pace. “It’s bang average at best,” says Ally McCoist on ITV co-comms.
62 min: Netherlands substitution: Memphis Depay comes on for Vincent Janssen. Senegal substitution: Ismail Jakobs on for Abdou Diallo.
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60 min: Netherlands win a corner. It can’t be taken until Senegal defender Abdou Diallo can receive treatment for an injury. Gakpo sends the ball into the mixer, where it’s punched clear by Edouard Mendy.
59 min: Krepin Diatta stretches every sinew but is unable to steer a cross from the right goalwards at the far post under pressure from Virgil van Dijk.
57 min: Matthijs De Ligt gets booked for crashing through the back of Ismaila Sarr. I suspect the Dutch defender may be hauled off sooner rather than later now that he’s walking the proverbial disciplinary tightrope while being given the run-around by his man.
56 min: Gakpo does well to get a cross in from the byline under pressure but Senegal clear.
55 min: Senegal right-back Youssef Sabaly runs on to a loose ball about 10 yards outside the Dutch penalty area, advances and unleashes a shot. It’s blocked by Nathan Ake.
53 min: Gakpo wins and takes a corner. Virgil van Dijk leaps highest, gets a free header and sends the ball over the bar. He should have scored. Or at least hit the target.
52 min: Koulibaly flattens Steven Bergwijn with a reducer from behind but avoids a booking. Bergwijn gets to his feet and blows his cheeks in frustration. I think that really hurt but he doesn’t want to show it.
50 min: Cody Gakpo advances up the right touchline, beating Sabaly en route. He plays the ball inside to Dumfries, who wins a corner for the Netherlands. The ball is sent into the penalty area from the quadrant and Edouard Mendy comes off his line to leap and claim confidently in a thicket of bodies.
47 min: Another loose pass from Frenkie De Jong allows Boulaye Dia to snatch possession for Senegal and sprint upfield. He runs into traffic and De Jong’s blushes are spared. He’s given the ball away on several occasions this evening.
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46 min: Vincent Janssen goes to ground holding the back of his head after a collision with Cheikou Kouyate, who launched into the back of him in mid-air and possibly should have got a yellow card for his troubles.
Second half: Senegal 0-0 Netherlands
46 min: Senegal get the second half under way with no changes in personnel on either side. Seconds later, Kalidou Koulibaly lumps the ball forward and out for a throw-in.
Half-time: Senegal 0-0 Netherlands
Peep! A reasonably absorbing first half between two decent sides finishes scoreless. The Netherlands have looked more threatening but in Ismaila Sarr, Senegal have had the most dangerous player on the pitch. He’s giving Matthijs De Ligt a very torrid time of it and his team-mates need to get him on the ball more.
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44 min: It’s been a decent game so far but neither goalkeeper has been tested. Two years ago, in case your interested, the Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert was without a club, unemployed and seriously considering giving up football to join the Dutch police force. His opposite number, Edouard Mendy also had a well-documented spell in the footballing wilderness and was unemployed and on the dole as recently as 2016.
42 min: Senegal win a free-kick in line with the front edge of the Netherland’s penalty area. Idrissa Gueye’s attempted cross is woeful and fails to clear the first defender.
41 min: Ismaila Sarr squartes the ball across the Netherlands penalty area and it’s hooked clear by Nathan Ake.
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40 min: On the edge of the Senegal penalty area, Steven Berghuis runs on to a lay-off from Vincent Janssen and blasts the ball high over the bar.
38 min: Ismaila Sarr races to collect a long Ciss ball from deep out by the touchline under pressure from Matthijs De Ligt. He’s looked dangerous on the rare occasionms he’s got on the ball.
36 min: Netherlands corner after a rising De Jong shot from distance goes out off the head of Pape Abou Cisse. Nothing comes of it.
34 min: Bergwijn plays the ball wide to Blind, whose cross from the left drops for Dumfries in the Senegal penalty area. He’s unable to get a shot away.
31 min: The Netherlands win a free-kick in another promising position for a Cisse foul on Janssen. It’s almost in line with the right edge of the Senegal penalty area. Cody Bakpo hoists the ball towards the far post, where it’s cleared.
30 min: Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie De Jong get their wires crossed, with the latter failing to collect a pass from the other after turning his back to him. Idrissa Gueye pounces but sends a rushed shot wide.
28 min: Idrissa Gueye and Cheik Kouyate combine down the right flank for Senegal but are unable to find a way through the Dutch rearguard.
26 min: An attempted Dumfries cross goes out for a corner off Abdou Diallo, the Senegal left-back. VIrgil van Dijk heads the ensuing outswinger well wide then castigates himself in the strongest terms possible as he returns to his position.
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25 min: With just over a quarter of the game gone, there’s little to choose between the two teams. The Netherlands are edging it but are made to sweat even more after Ismaila Sarr cuts inside from the left with a drop of the shoulder and curls a shot goalwards. Virgil van Dijk heads the ball clear.
23 min: The stadium seems to have filled up considerably since kick-off, in a state of affairs that suggests the fans here may have suffered the same ticketing app issues that befell England and Iran fans before their game earlier today.
21 min: Netherlands free-kick, a couple of yards outside the Senegal penalty area, in line with the right edge. Berghuis’s curled delivery isn’t great and Senegal clear comfortably.
19 min: A brilliant ball inside from Bergwijn picks out Steven Berghuis. He squares it for Frenkie De Jong, who somehow contrives not to get a shot off despite appearing to have all the time in the world. He twists and turns, allowing Senegal’s defence to regroup and crowd him off the ball.
16 min: Daley Blind leaps higher than Youssef Sabaly at the far post to connect with a Cody Gakpo cross. His downward header bounces the wrong side of the upright.
14 min: Gakpo and Dumfries combine down the inside-right but the latter’s pull-basck goes straight to a Senegalese defender.
11 min: After just 10 minutes, the players of both sides are both drenched with sweat. Senegal attack, but Krepin Diatta loses the ball on the back of a heavy touch before he can get a cross in from the right.
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10 min: Denzel Dumfries picks up the ball on the right touchline and curls a cross into the Senegal penalty area. Edouard Mendy claims confidently at the far post.
9 min: Ismaila Sarr shoots on the turn from distance after receiving a pass through the middle with his back towards goal. His effort sails high over the bar.
7 min: Early errors at both end in an open game but no goals or chances of note just yet. Senegal attack down the right and a cross is hoisted towards the far post. Showing all the agility of a centre-half his size, Pape Abou Cisse is unable to connect with the dropping ball to steer it goalwards from a tight angle.
3 min: After that shaky start, the Netherlands advance and should have taken the lead. Steven Bergwijn is unable to get on the end of a low Cody Gakpo cross into the Senegal penalty area after Edouard Mendy had rushed off his line and been caught in no-man’s land.
1 min: The Netherlands pass the ball around the back and try to advance until Matthijs De Ligt gives the ball away. Ismaila Sarr pounces and pulls the ball back towards Boulaye Dia, whose shot is blocked by Frenkie De Jong. The ball goes out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
Senegal v Netherlands is go ...
1 min: Following Ecuador’s win over Qatar last night, the second Group A match of the tournament gets under way with the Dutch getting the ball rolling. The players of the Netherlands wear orange shirts, shorts and socks. The African champions are in white shirts, white shorts and white socks.
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Out they go: Both sets of players walk out on to the pitch and stand either side of referee Wilton Sampaio and his team of match officials for the national anthems.
Not long now: The teams are in the tunnel awaiting the end of an extravagant light and pyrotechnics show at a currently half-full (at best) Al-Thumama Stadium before marching out on to the pitch. Here’s hoping for a cracking, competitive game. It’s the third of the tournament and the two that have preceded it have both been ridiculously one-sided affairs.
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Those teams: The Netherlands name uncapped goalkeeper Andries Noppert in their starting line-up, while Senegal have picked Krepin Diatta as their replacement for Sadio Mane. Senegal have nine players from their Africa Cup of Nations winning squad in their starting line-up.
After much speculation over the identity of the Dutch keeper coach Louis van Gaal chose Noppert, who at 6ft 8in is the tallest player at this World Cup, despite the fact he has yet to play an international. Denzel Dumfries starts at right-wing back for the Netherlands, despite his participation being in doubt in the build-up to the game.
Senegal v Netherlands line-ups
Senegal (4-3-3): Edouard Mendy, Koulibaly, Cisse, Gueye, Papy Mendy, Kouyate, Dia, Diatta, Sarr, Sabaly, Diallo.
Netherlands (3-4-1-2): Noppert, De Ligt, Van Dijk, Ake, Bergwijn, Gakpo, Berghuis, Blind, Janssen, De Jong, Dumfries.
The Netherlands: “Louis van Gaal believes the Netherlands can win the World Cup because his squad has a “higher average quality” than the group he led to third at Brazil 2014,” writes Jamie Jackson from Doha.
Senegal without Sadio: The injury to the Bayern Munich forward is a blow, but the African champions have a pragmatic approach to tournament football under Aliou Cissé, writes Ed Aarons.
Today’s match officials
Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
Assistant referees: Bruno Boschilia (Brazil) and Bruno Pires (Brazil)
Video Assistant Referee: Juan Soto (Venezuala)
Early team news
As mentioned previously, Senegal are without Sadio Mane, who could be reaplced by Monaco winger Krepin Diatta. Abou Diallo, the RB Leipzig central defender, could miss out with a knee injury.
The Netherlands are also missing a key player, with Memphis Depay sidelined for this match at the very least with a hamstring injury. Denzel Dumfries could also miss out after suffering an injury while playing for Inter last weekend, while the participation of midfielder Marten De Roon is also in doubt.
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Group A: Senegal v Netherlands
Qatar’s 40,000-capacity Al-Thumama Stadium is the venue for today’s encounter between Senegal and the Netherlands. Slated to host eight different matches in this tournament, it hosted it’s first game thirteen months ago.
The African champions suffered a pre-tournament hammerblow with the news that their star player Sadio Mane had been ruled out for the duration after suffering an injury while playing for Bayern Munich that sent his international manager Aliou Cisse back to the drawing board.
The Netherlands come into this tournament having qualified as group winners under Louis van Gaal and have since won five out of six Nations League matches, drawing the other. Kick-off in this tantalising match pitting Africa’s best against one of Europe’s finest is at 4pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
