Netherlands snuff out USA comeback to advance to quarterfinals

Louis Van Gaal’s men beat the Americans 3-1 in the World Cup on Saturday

The Netherlands are through to the quarterfinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup after stopping a potential comeback from the USA and beating them 3-1 in the last 16 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.

Memphis Depay put the Dutch up 1-0 after ten minutes, terminating an impressive 20-pass move when Denzel Dumfries cut the ball back to him near the edge of the area.

Then, on the stroke of half time, Daley Blind scored in his 98th cap to double the lead as the Netherlands executed a slick move from a throw-in that again saw Dumfries provide for his teammates.

The USA battled hard and looked to be set for a comeback when Haji Wright scored with a curious flick on 76 minutes.

Six minutes later, however, Dumfries capped off a strong display with a volley from close range to make it 3-1.

The USA, who were the youngest team at the tournament, kept on pushing for a second goal but to no avail.

The match drew to a finish after six minutes of stoppage time, and the Netherlands now look ahead to a quarterfinal meeting against either Australia or Argentina next Friday evening.

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