FIFA World Cup : Netherlands vs Senegal

In so far as the most competitive game till now, Netherlands & Senegal were toe to toe in the 1st half, ending in a stalemate till the break. Both teams were sprightly & looked to pierce the opponent's defense through some really incisive runs. Frenkie De Jong was the man who made a lot of movement, while de Ligt & van Dijk were looked a tad vulnerable in the back line, as both sides rued missed chances. The absence of Sadio Mane (sidelined for injury), was evident upfront for Senegal, as the mercurial forward has been one of the most feared scorer in the world of football for the past couple of years. 

2nd half started in similar fashion, with both sides trying to nose ahead, as de Ligt was shown a yellow card for a needless foul. The first real save came, when Dia shot a first timer from a Mendy pass, as the Dutch keeper Noppert made a super stop to keep the ball out. Another attempt by Gueye was again thwarted by Noppert minutes later, in between Kouyate picking up a serious injuty to be taken out in a stretcher - sad for Senegal, who have already lost Sadio Mane. Netherlands meanwhile, brought in Memphis Depay in place of Janssen to add bite in their attack. Both sides looked scrappy in bits, trying to gather momentum & control of the game. 

The deadlock was finally broken in the 84th minute, as a moment of indecision by Mendy in the Senegalese goal, had Frenkie de Jong floating the ball & Cody Gakpo heading past Mendy into the far end of the net - What a goal by the Netherlands footballer of the year. A fine combination between Memphis - deJong & Gakpo to string this very important, in this hard fought encounter. 8 minutes of added time did bring in more drama, as in the dying seconds of the game, a heavy Memphis shot was parried by Mendy into the running path of Klasssen who's poaching rebound put the ball into the net & the match to bed. Netherlands managed to huff & puff past a very resilient Senegal 2-0. Both the goals could be faulted to the Senegalese goalkeeper Mendy, on momentary lapses of concentration, which proved so costly in the end.