Louis van Gaal took a couple of chances with his team selection for the Netherlands against Senegal, but it all worked out in the end.
They got there in the end. It took two late goals to break the deadlock and deliver the Netherlands a first win of the tournament from a thorny-looking opening game against African champions Senegal, the win ultimately determined by some intelligent positioning and movement, and a goalkeeping performance which left something to be desired.
Louis van Gaal took a gamble on his team selection. Memphis Depay and Davy Klaassen both started on the bench, while Justin Bijlow of Feyenoord and Remko Pasveer of Ajax were both overlooked in goal in favour of a first international cap for Andres Noppert of Heerenveen, a man who’d been on the point of quitting the professional game just a couple of years ago.
As the Netherlands faded in the second half, their defence became increasingly reliant on Noppert, who made a couple of decent saves in the second half as Senegal began to assert themselves and the Netherlands started to wilt in the heat.
Late bursts of energy from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen saw them home, but it was a close shave.
Over the course of the first 45 minutes there was plenty of nice football on display without too many goalscoring chances. It looked rather as though the Netherlands could do with a number nine (who wasn’t Vincent Janssen) while Senegal could do with a number nine (who was Sadio Mane). Both teams managed to get the ball into dangerous positions without having anyone to get on the end of the half-chances they created, and neither goalkeeper was unduly troubled.
Ismaila Sarr was a disruptive presence on the Senegal left, a glimmer of the potential that the team has in attacking positions, but the Netherlands dominated possession in a half which was the first played in this tournament between what looked like two fairly well-matched sides.
The little flashes of skill ended up being largely subsumed by what followed. More than once, the ball found its way into a dangerous-looking position in the Senegalese penalty area without the Dutch attack being able to get a foot on it.
But whereas the first half had been enjoyable for all the lack of clear opportunities, with the feeling that things might be nicely teed up for a more entertaining half to follow, the second was altogether scrappier. Virgil van Dijk headed narrowly over from a corner at one end and Krepin Diatta and Sarr brought decent saves…
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