By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Two goals from star midfielder Jill Roord and effervescent forward Lineth Beerensteyn in the 9′ and 68′ respectively were all The Netherlands needed to beat the African champions, South Africa 2-0 in a Round of 16 match early Sunday morning in Nigeria at Sydney Football Stadium in Australia.
The Netherlands, Group E winners which came to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final at Number Two in the latest World Cup power rankings, taught South Africa football lessons as the Banyana Banyana has become the second African country to crash out of the biggest women’s football competition in the world after Zambia.
South Africa advanced to this stage thanks to a dramatic 3-2 upset over Italy last Thursday which is the country’s first-ever World Cup victory and were hoping to repeat the feat of last week.
But the Oranje Leeuwinnen who won Group E, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Portugal, a 1-1 draw against the heavyweight United States, and a 7-0 drubbing of Vietnam in its group stage finale turned the heat early on Sunday.
Despite the different pedigrees, the Dutch got everything they can handle from South Africa including caging star forwards Thembi Kgatlana and Hilda Magaia throughout the contest.
It did not take long in the game before
Dutch midfielder Roord scored with a header off a save from South Africa’s goalkeeper Kaylin Swart in the 9′, and Oranje Leeuwinnen are off to another early lead in this World Cup. Rood is now the Netherlands’ all-time leader in women’s World Cup goals with five.
Although South Africa came out forcefully to look for an equalizer the Netherlands is clinged to a 1-0 lead despite several quality chances as Thembi Kgatlana and Dutch goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar are locked in an incredible battle.
Netherlands nearly got a second goal in the 56′ when
Lieke Martens slotted in between the legs of Swart
but it was ruled offside after VAR checked although the reprieve for South Africa did not last too long before the Netherlands made it two goals.
A calamitous error from South Africa goalkeeper Swart allowed Beerensteyn’s shot slip through her hands, a ball she has caught a million times throughout her career, and into the back of the net in the 68′.
“Pocket dynamite”, Beerensteyn also found the back of the net after taking the ball round the keeper and slotting home, but the flag was up, and it won’t count.
The Netherlands thrilled a sellout attendance of 40,233 at Sydney Stadium in Australia with their football artistry and 71% ball possession just as the combination of the frontline comprising Lieke Martens, Danielle van de Donk, Esmee Brugts and Beerensteyn who ran rings on the South Africans throughout the match made the game beautiful to watch.
But the Netherlands have agile goalkeeper
Daphne van Domselaar to thank for she stood up to it few times the South Africans threatened, little wonder she won the Woman of the Match Award in the after the game.
With this result only Nigeria and Morocco are still in the race for the quarter-final tickets.
