32
17:34
Another free-kick from the right for the Netherlands after Cissé brought down Janssen. This time Gakpo gets a try, but only Koulibaly gets the ball from the far post. Elftal still doesn’t make enough of these situations.
30
17:31
An adventurous misguided pass from van Dijk puts Diatta in play on the right, but his shot goes wide to the right. Noppert still does not have to intervene.
28
17:29
Gakpo finds van Dijk at the penalty spot from a corner from the right. His header then clearly misses to the right because he is still being disturbed a little.
26
17:27
Sarr with a great body fraud on the left corner of the box against Dumfries, then he shoots from almost 17 meters. But Noppert does not have to intervene because Aké still gets his head in between.
23
17:25
Berghuis brings in the free-kick, but it lands directly on Koulibaly’s head. You can always make more out of a situation like this.
22
17:23
The game is now picking up speed, both teams dare to go forward more and more. De Ligt takes a free kick from the right corner of the box against Sarr.
19
17:22
De Jong fritters away the great opportunity to take the lead. He is sent into the penalty area with a low pass and is alone in front of Mendy. Instead of finishing, however, he tries two feints, which puts the defenders back on the field and ultimately allows Kouyaté to clear. Another good situation for the Netherlands.
17
17:19
Blind gets through well at the far post after a Bergwijn cross from the right, but can’t push the ball. So this clearly goes past from seven meters to the left.
15
17:16
The Dutch are currently losing a lot of turnovers in the build-up game. The Sénégal cannot capitalize on this yet.
13.
17:14
Blind finds Janssen on the right with a long diagonal ball, but his pass ends up in the middle at Sabaly. The Elftal was able to lure the Sénégalese out for the first time and thus had space.
11.
17:12
There is a first interruption because Cissé went down in his own penalty area without any opponent influence. But after a short break he can continue.
9.
17:11
Depending on the situation, the Africans go ahead, especially when Noppert is on the ball. They want to put the debutant under pressure and thus provoke mistakes. Sarr shoots clearly over it from a central position of 20 meters.
7.
17:10
Kouyaté crosses from the right into the middle, Cissé doesn’t quite reach the second post. The Sénégal is by no means hiding here.
5.
17:07
The huge chance for the Dutch! Janssen lets a ball smack into the path of Gakpo on the right side of the penalty area, who is alone in front of Mendy on the right side of the penalty area. The attacker wants to put his ball in the middle again, but his pass misses Bergwijn because he plays him in the back a bit. That really has to be the guide.
4.
17:05
The Netherlands let the ball run calmly through their own ranks. The Senegalese really attack from the middle line.
2.
17:03
It starts quickly, Sarr is sent on the left on the journey and then returns flat to the penalty area. However, Dia’s attempt can easily be blocked. The following corner then poses no danger.
1.
17:02
Then the ball rolls. The Netherlands has kicked off. Captain Virgil van Dijk wears the official FIFA captain’s armband. So much for the question raised in the preliminary report about possible actions by Elftal.
16:55
The teams take to the pitch at this moment along with referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio from Brazil. In a few minutes, after the national anthems, the game can begin.
16:46
However, with the above-mentioned facts about sports politics always in mind, we come back to the game. Incidentally, it’s the first time the two nations have met in an international match and it’s a very important one, because both teams are obviously striving for a good start to the tournament, even though Group A isn’t one of the most difficult groups. Yesterday, Ecuador convincingly won 2-0 in the opening game against hosts Qatar. This puts Senegal and the Netherlands under pressure, as these three teams are very likely to fight it out in the round of 16.
16:36
In addition to the sporting importance of this game, unfortunately, a look at the political dimension of the tournament as a whole must also be taken. Because the tournament is richer by a sad episode, since FIFA has banned the one-love captain’s armbands. The European participants had agreed to wear them, but backed down today due to the sanctions announcement by the world association, which also includes the national team of the Netherlands. Not only FIFA, but now also the national associations, gives a poor picture. It would have been quite possible to oppose the organization here and accept the associated penalties. With the Iranian side bravely refusing to sing the national anthem in the previous game in order to side with the oppressed at home, the Europeans are not covering themselves in glory. It remains to be seen whether Elftal will consider an alternative.
16:22
Mané’s absence obviously weighs heavily on the Sénégal. Coach Cissé is nevertheless convinced that his team will do well: “We are stronger than in Russia four years ago”. At that time it was not enough for the round of 16 due to the fair play rating, what a curiosity. The squad for the Africans also includes Ismail Jakobs, a former German U21 European champion and ex-Cologne player who now plays for Monaco and Sénégal. With the Netherlands you have the favorites of the group in front of you. And the Elftal wants to go even higher, as van Gaal confessed: “We can become world champions”. They last made it to the final in 2010, but lost to Spain there. Today, however, the foundation stone must first be laid.
16:04
To start, let’s take a look at the lineups. At Sénégal, Aliou Cissé called up the team’s stars, Mendy and Koulibaly, among others, in the starting XI, choosing a 4-3-3 formation. In addition, particular attention is paid to Ismaila Sarr on the flank, the Watford player is lightning fast. Unfortunately, Sadio Mané cannot take part, the FC Bayern Munich player had to pull out of the World Cup due to injury. Louis van Gaal in the Dutch team is now using the well-known 3-5-2 system. Gakpo should take over the creative game up front behind the strikers, Janssen plays for the ailing Depay up front. In goal, that’s the big surprise, Noppert can start, for the keeper it’s the debut in the national team and at a World Cup.
16:00
Welcome to the Sénégal vs. Netherlands match in Group A of the 2022 World Cup at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha. Kick-off is at 5 p.m.!