December 03, (THEWILL) – The Netherlands beat the United States 3-1 on Saturday, to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals with Denzel Dumfries, playing a crucial role.
The fundamental strategy of Louis van Gaal seemed to be to allow the USA to have control, but the Oranje needed to clear the goal line twice in the second half before finishing off their opponents.
Dumfries then changed the tenor of the match when he set up both Memphis Depay and Daley Blind, to give the Dutch a commanding lead at halftime. The two-goal cushion put the Dutch in a confident swing, and it appeared they were going to advance easily.
In the second half, last-ditch saves prevented Haji Wright and Tim Ream, from scoring to half the deficit before the latter gave the USA a chance to pull level. But Dumfries put an end to their late effort, capping a great performance and securing a spot in the next round.
The young USA team will turn their attention to co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, while also reflecting on their performance in Qatar. In next week’s quarter-final match, the Netherlands will face either Argentina or Australia, who play later on Saturday.
