Izuchukwu OkosiThe Netherlands advanced to the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over tournament Qatar on Tuesday evening at Al Bayt Stadium in Khor, Qatar.
The victory gave the Dutch seven points from two wins and a draw, enough to win Group A.
Cody Gakpo, born of Togolese parents who migrated to the Netherlands when he was only a child scored his third World Cup goal which was the first of the game in the 26th minute for the Dutch.
PSV forward, Gakpo, a transfer target of several English sides got a, supposed goal in the 49th minute. However a clear hand ball denied him the opportunity of a hat-trick in the second half.
Barcelona midfielder Frankie de Jong grabbed the second goal of the game for the ‘Oranje’ men with a close finish.
The Dutch coached by Luis van Gaal are now unbeaten in 15 straight group matches, the third-longest streak of all time. They will face the second-place finisher from Group B on Saturday in the round of 16.
The host nation — became the first team to be mathematically eliminated after losing its first two games — they ended the group stage without a point.
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The Netherlands will play USA in the round of 16 stage of the tournament this weekend.
Youth has noticeably been a theme for the United States (USA) throughout this cycle and it’s continued in Qatar.
Already with the second-youngest roster at the 2022 FIFA World Cup behind only Ghana, the USA’s two lineups against Wales (25 years, 102 days) and England (25 years, 169 days) were the two youngest Starting XIs in the matches that have been played at the tournament through Sunday evening.
The lineups against Wales and England also ranked as the fourth and fifth respectively in USMNT World Cup history, coming in behind the three Starting XIs that took the field at Italia ’90 (all just over 24 years old), when the squad was made up in part by semi-professional and collegiate players.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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