Dutch Domination in Last-16: Roord and Beerensteyn Goals Secure Victory at Women's World Cup against South Africa
The Netherlands secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup with a 2-0 victory over South Africa, thanks to goals from Jill Roord and Lineth Beerensteyn
Jill Roord notched her fourth goal of the Women's World Cup, propelling the Netherlands to the quarter-finals with a dominant 2-0 victory over South Africa in Sydney.
Opening the scoring, Roord executed a header to give her team an early advantage. In the second half, Lineth Beerensteyn capitalized on a goalkeeping blunder to add a second goal, securing the Dutch a clash with Spain in Wellington on Friday.
Despite being ranked 54th in Africa, the African champions put up a strong fight in their debut in the World Cup knockout stage. Their lone striker, Thembi Kgatlana, consistently posed a threat on the break. However, the Dutch goalkeeper, Daphne van Domselaar, successfully blocked every shot fired at her by Banyana Banyana. As a result, the 2019 finalists advanced to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive tournament.
Netherlands coach Andries Jonker expressed his satisfaction with a hard-fought victory against a formidable opponent. However, he admitted that the first half was disappointing in terms of ball possession.
The Dutch team showed a strong start by scoring in the ninth minute through Danielle van de Donk's header from a corner. To add to their advantage, defender Lebohang Ramalepe inadvertently obstructed goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, allowing Roord to easily score.
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Thembi Kgatlana made a strong impression but was unable to lead South Africa into the quarterfinals. Banyana Banyana retaliated swiftly, as striker Thembi Kgatlana expertly controlled a through ball, creating room for a powerful shot that Van Domselaar had to save.
Kgatlana consistently reminded the Dutch team to remain focused and vigilant. She managed to unleash three shots in the ten minutes leading up to halftime, which challenged Van Domselaar. The goalkeeper also had to showcase her skills to prevent a powerful shot from Kholosa Biyana in stoppage time.
Early in the second half, winger Lieke Martens had a goal disallowed due to an offside call. However, the Dutch team did manage to extend their lead in the 68th minute.
Beerensteyn was played past the defense and took a shot towards Swart, who seemed to have the situation handled but mishandled the catch, resulting in the ball squirting into the net.
Despite conceding, South Africa once again reacted positively. However, Van Domselaar was up to the task, diving low to deflect Linda Motlhalo's powerful shot around the post five minutes later.
In stoppage time, Banyana Banyana had their final opportunity to score, most likely through Kgatlana, but Van Domselaar proved impenetrable.
"Our focus yesterday was on increasing our goal tally and we had ample chances, particularly in the first half," commented Desiree Ellis, the coach of South Africa.
What's next?
The quarter-finals match between The Netherlands and Spain will take place in Wellington on Friday at 2am. Despite feeling disappointed, I cannot help but be immensely proud of this group of players.What is the schedule?
The round of 16 is set to occur from August 5 to August 8, encompassing a total of eight exciting matches to be played in various locations across Australia and New Zealand.Following this thrilling round, the quarter-finals will take place on August 11 and 12, taking the action to Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, and Sydney.
The initial semi-final is scheduled for August 15th in Auckland, while the second semi-final will occur on August 16th at Sydney's Accor Stadium. The final match will subsequently be held at the Accor Stadium on August 20th. Preceding the final, a third-place play-off is set to take place on August 19th in Brisbane.
