In Group A on Monday, the Netherlands defeated the reigning African champions Senegal 2-0 to begin their 2022 World Cup run.
Cody Gakpo, the top scorer in the Eredivisie, scored in his World Cup debut in the 84th minute, and Davy Klaassen added a goal in stoppage time to give the Oranje an important victory.
After each team won its opening match 2-0, Ecuador and Netherlands are now tied for first place in Group A. On Friday, they will play each other again.
That was also due to Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert, who in his first game for the national team made three forceful saves to stop the Senegalese.
On Monday, the Netherlands defeated African champions Senegal 2-0 in their return to the World Cup stage thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen.
At kickoff, both the injured Sadio Mane of Senegal and Memphis Depay of the Netherlands made it appear as though the Group A match in Doha would conclude in a scoreless draw.
However, with only six seconds left, PSV Eindhoven forwards Gakpo rose in front of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to head in a floated cross from the left by Frenkie de Jong.
Deep into the extra period, substitute Klaassen sealed the victory by scoring after Mendy had stopped Depay, who had also been brought on as a substitute.
The Netherlands and Ecuador, who defeated the hosts Qatar 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game on Sunday, are now tied for first place in their group as a result of the outcome.
On Friday, Louis van Gaal’s team takes on Ecuador, while Senegal now has a crucial match against Qatar.
On the day of the competition, Mane of Bayern Munich, who finished second in this year’s Ballon d’Or, was forced to withdraw from the Senegal squad due to a leg injury.
