FOOTBALL – The Netherlands breezed into the World Cup knockouts as Group F winners with a commanding 3-1 victory over Tunisia on a rain-soaked yesterday, capitalising on another poor display from their hapless opponents to set up a round-of-32 clash with Morocco.
A thunderstorm warning cleared just in time for kickoff but there was no delay to the Dutch on the pitch, who made the fastest start to a World Cup match since 2002 when they seized a 2-0 lead in just over six minutes.
The North Africans’ captain Ellyes Skhiri inadvertently turned a cross into his own net in the third minute, before Brian Brobbey grabbed his third goal of the tournament.
Tunisia briefly threatened a comeback when Hazem Mastouri scored in the 54th minute, but Jan Paul van Hecke quickly restored the Dutch cushion.
Despite dominating for long spells and resting key players in the second half, Koeman rejected any suggestion his side were favourites for the Morocco match in Monterrey on Monday.
“I’m not sure if we’re the favourites,” he told reporters. “It will be a big game. They are a good team with a lot of quality, and they can score easily... It’s clear we will be meeting a strong opponent.”
“We’re the first of the group, and now we’re going towards our real test, and that’s what we’re going to prepare for,” he added.
The Netherlands capitalised on another error-strewn display from Tunisia, whose calamitous tournament came to a fitting end after heavy defeats to Japan and Sweden and a coach change between their first two matches.
Some of the more than 68,000 fans in attendance left the stadium before the final whistle with the result beyond doubt, as heavy rain and the weather alert did little to disrupt the match or dampen their enthusiasm.
Tunisia almost struck first in the second minute when Ismael Gharbi missed a clear chance, but the Netherlands moved ahead moments later as Skhiri slashed at Denzel Dumfries’ cross and rifled the ball into his own net.
They doubled their advantage in the seventh minute, when Brobbey finished from close range after Virgil van Dijk headed a free kick back across goal.
The early burst gave way to a slower tempo, with the Dutch rarely troubled even as Tunisia threatened to get back into the contest in the second half, when Mastouri headed in Hannibal Mejbri’s corner to reduce the deficit.
Tunisia’s momentum was quickly curtailed as the Netherlands restored their two-goal advantage eight minutes later when Van Hecke powered home a header from Tijjani Reijnders’ corner, with the ball deflecting off Anis Slimane on its way into the net.
Reijnders later struck the crossbar as the Dutch continued to press but failed to add to their tally.
The scoreline allowed Koeman to take off some of his starters ahead of the round-of-32 clash in Mexico, with Brobbey, Cody Gakpo and Frenkie de Jong all substituted in the second half.
Memphis Depay, the Netherlands’ all-time leading goalscorer, came on in the 77th minute and went close with an acrobatic bicycle kick.
The defeat capped a disappointing tournament for Tunisia, who conceded 12 goals across three matches despite arriving with a reputation for defensive solidity after they cruised through qualifying without conceding a single goal.
Coach Herve Renard was rushed in to replace the sacked Sabri Lamouchi after a 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opener but was unable to change their fortunes.
Arriving on the sport’s global stage full of optimism having conceded no goals in qualifying, the North Africans’ miserable tournament spiralled from disappointment into disarray and left plenty of questions about the future of the national team.
“We weren’t up to par,” Renard said. “We are not at the level for this World Cup, this is clear, there is no discussion.
“Now the federation of Tunisia needs to sit down, analyse everything, it’s important. At the moment, everyone will go home, rest a bit, and they will have time to make a decision for the future.”
Their 12 goals conceded in the group stage from the expanded 48-team tournament format was a World Cup record, topping the previous record of 11 set by Costa Rica at the 2022 World Cup, when the tournament featured 32 teams.
A 5-1 thrashing by Sweden in their opener exposed alarming defensive frailties and prompted the dismissal of Lamouchi after one match.
The mid-tournament change failed to halt the slide.
Tunisia followed up with a 4-0 defeat by Japan that Renard said left him feeling “ashamed,” before falling to the Dutch in their Group F finale, leaving them with three defeats.
Defensive mistakes became a recurring theme. Against the Netherlands, Tunisia fell behind in the third minute when Ellyes Skhiri turned Denzel Dumfries’ cross into his own net.
They never recovered, despite briefly reducing the deficit through Hazem Mastouri’s second-half header that did not even bring a smile from Renard, who remained rooted to his seat as the small contingent of Tunisia fans celebrated.
Players who spoke confidently before the tournament looked increasingly devoid of belief as the losses mounted.
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