The Netherlands defeated the United States (USMNT) in the Round of 16 to secure qualification to the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
Gregg Berhalter‘s side failed to impress on Saturday, but they need to improve in the next few years as they will be hosts of the next World Cup edition in 2026.
Pele, always present
After it was reported in Brazil that Pele‘s health condition had worsened, the Khalifa Stadium displayed on its huge Aspire Tower an image of ‘O Rei’ accompanied by the following message: “Get well soon”.
Baby USA
The USMNT looked inconsistent in this tournament mainly due to their inexperienced squad.
According to data from the CIES Football Observatory, Berhalter’s team had the lowest average age (25.31) of the teams that progressed to the round of 16.
However, prodigies such as Yunus Musah (20 years old), Giovanni Reina (20), Sergino Dest (22), Tim Weah (22) or Christian Pulisic (24) are expected to be more mature and experienced in 2026.
Solid Noppert in goal
The Dutch national team dominated from the off, but goalkeeper Andries Noppert was also key to their win.
He denied Pulisic in a one-on-one situation three minutes in, producing another two saves to deny Weah before the break and Tim Ream in the 49th minute.
The Netherlands reach the quarter-finals as Depay makes history
Memphis Depay stood out against the US, netting the opener on Saturday.
He made history as he became the Netherlands’ second top scorer of all-time with 43 goals, overtaking Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Inspired performance by Dumfries
Denzel Dumfries produced a man-of-the-match display against the US.
He registered two assists in the first half and scored one of his own to put the game to bed with eight minutes to go.
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