Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen struck late to earn the Netherlands a 2-0 win over Senegal in their Group A opener. The sides had struggled to break the deadlock, with the Dutch failing to produce an effort on target from seven attempts....CONTINUE READING
But PSV winger Gakpo nodded Frenkie de Jong’s delivery past Edouard Mendy with just six minutes remaining to kickstart Louis van Gaal’s side in Qatar.
Senegal, without injured talisman Sadio Mane, went close in response through Bamba Dieng but Klaassen slotted an injury-time second to seal the points.
Late goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen gave Netherlands victory against Senegal in their opening Group A match of the 2022 World Cup.
Gakpo made a perfectly timed run to head home a beautifully weighted cross from Frenkie de Jong, before Klaassen tapped home to seal the win deep into injury time.
The Dutch are now undefeated in 16 matches under coach Louis van Gaal. They also stretched an unbeaten record in their opening game at World Cups that dates back to 1938.
It is quite easy to point fingers at the entire Senegalese defenders for the defeat to the Netherlands. Koulibaly was one of the poor performers as he failed to control his line especially in the closing stages of the game.
The Chelsea defender lost three duels, conceded three fouls in dangerous positions, lost the ball twice, had two interceptions, one block, and two tackles.
Apart from his poor defensive display, Koulibaly failed to carry out his duty as the captain of the team when his team conceded a goal in the 84th minute.
The defender was spotted blaming his goalkeeper instead of motivating his team for a possible comeback. I guess Koulibaly’s display in yesterday’s game shows he doesn’t deserve to be the team’s captain because he failed to lead by example.
