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WWC 2015 Round of 16: Netherlands

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Netherlands experienced every result in the group stage and do not enter the Round of 16 with a confident strut. Such a mixture of results led them to only just scrape through into the knock out stages, advancing as one of the third-place finishers.

Group Performance

Their only win of the group stage came in their very first match where they managed to secure a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute against New Zealand. It was expected that the side would defeat New Zealand and then this would give them the confidence and momentum to go on and defeat China.


Yet this was not the case. It seemed as though the final result of the match was going to be a scoreless draw until an injury time goal stole the win for China. The Netherlands somehow managed to be completely outplayed by China only having bursts of possession and struggling to find space to make chances.

The Netherlands then ended the group stage with the difficult task of taking on the hosts and they came out with a 1-1 draw. Canada had one of their best performances in the tournament and it was surprising that the Netherlands were able to pull out a late equaliser from nothing.

They'll beat Japan because...

Miracles can happen. Hype surrounding Vivienne Miedema might push her to really make her name known in this World Cup and if this is the case, the Netherlands are in with a shot.

They'll be knocked out by Japan because...

It will be a very tough game for the Netherlands as the odds are against them. The Netherlands are ranked 12th in the world in comparison to the defending champs who are 4th and have a wealth of experience and a fantastic squad.

Can they win the World Cup?

No, they will more than likely be knocked out following this match.

Best moment of the tournament so far

After being dominated by Canada during the entire match, the Netherlands best moment in the tournament so far would be their equaliser against Canada.

Key Player

Kirsten van de Ven will exhaust Japan's defence and will be one of the Netherlands’ crucial forwards that can make a difference in this game. She came on as a substitute in the game against Canada and scored the equaliser proving that she can make space and create magic during the moments when the Netherlands need it the most.