Nobody thought this would turn into a goal feast, but Netherlands’ rapid implosion under Tunisia is unreal in Kansas City. Netherlands got the 3-1 result they desired to ensure that they would be finishing as top of Group F with 7 points and thus avoided a difficult looking first knockout match against the odds-on favourites Brazil.
For Ronald Koeman the strategy was simple: split out and crush through the middle, where the Barcelona playmaker Frenkie de Jong is at his most impactful.
As a single pivot De Jong dictated the pace for almost all of the first half of the match. Tunisia were reduced to break away with a number of feeble passes that the Dutch midfielder then recycled wide to deprive them of possession of all life breath. It took less than a few minutes. On the third minute a scary low pass by Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries found Tunisian skipper Ellyes Skhiri looking for a simple header, only to scuff the ball into his own goal.
This was a tough pill for the Africans to swallow and mere minutes after a Tijjani Reijnders set piece found Dutch center back Virgil van Dijk, who laid back for Sunderland man Brian Brobbey who duly tucked it in from inside the six-yard box in the seventh minute.
Tunisia did offer a little after the break with 54-minute headed goal for Hazem Mastouri off another corner, but it proved a false dawn. By the 62nd minute Netherlands stepped on the accelerator again, De Jong still running the show for the Dutch midfield with Tijjani Reijnders once more involved, teeing up for Jan Paul van Hecke to chip an attempt over the Tunisian keeper that deflected into goal for the final goal.
Koeman had the good sense to sub off Frenkie de Jong with 19 minutes left on the clock as he’ll probably save his energy for tougher opponents ahead, and Tunisia was heading home without a point to show for it. And with this Netherlands would meet Morocco in the round of 32 in a couple of days.
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