The Netherlands hold defending champions to a draw – The Northern Times
On Thursday, July 27th, the match everyone had circled on their calendars kicked off with a massive roar from the stands in the Wellington Regional Stadium in New Zealand. In a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final, the Netherlands and the USA played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with both sides looking close to winning it multiple times.
The Dutch Lionesses opened the scoring in the 17th minute thanks to a well-worked counter-attack ending at the feet of Jill Roord. The former FC Twente midfielder made no mistakes in slotting the ball past the keeper to give the Netherlands the lead.
The two-time reigning champion would not go down without a fight. Almost immediately after, USA’s Trinity Rodman has her long-range effort saved by Daphne van Domselaar. The match was played at a frantic pace throughout, with the Netherlands hoping to control the ball and the USA looking to catch them out in the open.
With only half an hour remaining, it appeared that the USA was on the verge of losing their first World Cup match since 2011. Unfortunately for Dutch fans, the equalizer came in the 62nd minute as Lindsey Horan, accurately nicknamed ‘Captain America’, headed in from a corner to draw things level.
The pace of the match did not slow down as the USA looked for a winner. In fact, they seemingly had their second goal of the match when Alex Morgan tapped in from close range before it was ruled out for offside.
The momentum was clearly on the American’s side yet it was the Netherlands who came the closest to retaking the lead. A wonderfully worked team play led to Esmee Brugts taking a clear chance, but it was somehow blocked by Julie Ertz for a corner.
This seemed to spur Team USA as they pushed for a winner, but it was not meant to be. Although the scoreline might reflect a common one-all draw, the match certainly lived up to the expectations and should give the Oranje Leeuwinnen the confidence that they can match up with any team at this World Cup.
Sherida Spitse praises tough Dutch team
A staple in the starting eleven, captain Sherida Spitse, who was born in Sneek, was quick to compliment her team’s efforts against the nation many consider the overwhelming favorite to lift the trophy.
“We’ll roll up our sleeves if we have to,” Spitse told the NOS. Considering that the Netherlands were outshot 18 to 5 during the match despite having most of the possession (56%), it was definitely a match that the team had to keep their composure to close out the draw.
With both the USA and the Netherlands tied at the top of the group with 4 points, the next match is absolutely crucial for Oranje Leeuwinnen to qualify for the knockouts. They face World Cup debutants Vietnam, a team the USA beat by a score of 3-0, on Tuesday, the 1st of August in a must-win game.
https://northerntimes.nl/the-netherlands-hold-defending-champions-to-a-draw/ The Netherlands hold defending champions to a draw – The Northern Times