Dutch Domination: Esmee Brugts' sensational brace crushes Vietnam in a mesmerizing Group E showdown
Netherlands dominate Vietnam with a magnificent 7-0 victory, as Esmee Brugts shines with two exceptional long-range goals Securing top spot in Group E, they advance to the Women's World Cup knockout stage in impressive fashion Next up, their schedule awaits
Esmee Brugts scored two impressive long-range goals as the Netherlands showcased their attacking prowess in a dominant 7-0 victory over Vietnam. This win secured their place in the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup and solidified their position as the top team in Group E. Despite only scoring once in each of their previous matches, the Dutch team was determined to improve their goal difference and swiftly built a commanding 4-0 lead within the first 25 minutes, with Brugts' beautifully curled shot standing out among the goals.
In the 57th minute, she scored her second goal, which was identical to the first, extending the Netherlands' lead to 6-0. Jill Roord then secured her second goal of the evening, sealing the dominant victory, which is currently the largest in the tournament. Despite expectations of finishing behind the United States in the group, the Netherlands claimed second place in Group E after the defending champions were held to a goalless draw by Portugal in Auckland.
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Lieke Martens of the Netherlands found the net in the eighth minute to score the first goal.
On Sunday, the 2019 runners-up will make their way to Sydney for their last-16 tie, where they are expected to go up against Italy. Italy currently holds the second spot in Group G, behind Sweden.
Lieke Martens, Katja Snoeijs, Roord, and Danielle van de Donk all found the back of the net in the opening half, while the Netherlands impressively had a total of 42 goal attempts, with 17 on target. In contrast, Vietnam only managed five shots, none of which were on target.
A brilliant pass from Dominique Janssen in the defensive zone set up Martens to loft the ball over goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh, giving the Netherlands the lead after just eight minutes and marking Martens' 60th international goal.
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Vietnam made their World Cup debut and shortly after, Snoeijs scored the second goal within three minutes, assisted by Van de Donk. Brugts then extended the lead with a long-range strike that found the top right corner of the goal.
Roord, who had missed the mark twice, finally found the back of the net by volleying Janssen's cross. Just before half-time, Roord forced an impressive save from Kim Thanh, but Van de Donk was there to score from the rebound.
Following Brugts' outstanding sixth goal with another powerful shot, Martens was deemed offside. However, Roord, who had previously hit the crossbar, headed in the seventh goal with seven minutes left on the clock.
What's next?
The match on August 6 at 3am will see the Netherlands, who topped Group E, facing the runners-up of Group G.What is the schedule?
After a two-week group stage, which concludes on August 3, the top two teams from each group will progress to the round of 16. This exciting knockout stage will take place from August 5 to August 8.The quarter-finals are slated to take place on August 11 and 12 in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, and Sydney. Following this, the initial semi-final will be held on August 15 in Auckland, while the other semi-final will occur on August 16 at Accor Stadium in Sydney. The final match will then be hosted by Accor Stadium on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
