MEMPHIS ADDS STYLE FOR DUTCH

LOUIS VAN GAAL’S progress through the group stages of the World Cup has not impressed everybody in Holland. Not enough style and flair, they have said.

Well, here against a USA team expected to give Holland a difficult evening, the Dutch found a little of their traditional selves to ease to a comfortable victory and left us with one of the most memorable goals of this terrific World Cup along the way.

Twenty passes were strung together across the green acres of the Khalifa Stadium before Memphis Depay struck Holland’s first goal in the 10th minute. That made it the most elaborate goal ever scored by a Dutch team at a World Cup. This from a side said by one prominent Dutch newspaper to play football reminiscent of grinding teeth. Little wonder Van Gaal was all smiles.

‘They were fantastic goals,’ said the manager. ‘The first was of a beauty and team spirit. I know what the media write about me but I get enough appreciation from the people around me.

‘Top countries have not progressed here but we still have three matches to go. I have said for a year that we can become world champions.’

In charge for the third time, Van Gaal is 71 now. Still, though, he maintains an appetite to win and to prove people wrong. His team were soporific to watch in the group stages but this display was an improvement.

The USA had troubled England in drawing with them in Group B but after a bright start Gregg Berhalter’s team hardly laid a glove on the Dutch. This was a rarity at this World Cup, a night when the usual order of things was maintained.

After Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert saved from Christian Pulisic in the opening moments, Holland were the better team by a distance.

Depay’s goal was a beauty. With the ball moved patiently and cleverly through the centre of the field and out to the right, the cross that followed from Denzel Dumfries was perfect and Depay thundered it home with his right instep.

Only the second goal USA had conceded in the tournament — and the first from open play — it required a response, but they struggled to find one. So energetic and brave against England, USA could not find that edge here. It was almost as though when they were forced to chase a game they did not know how to.

Van Gaal’s team were comfortable, more so than they probably expected. Tim Weah drove in a half volley from 18 yards that Noppert saved but almost immediately Holland swept back upfield to score their second.

Once again the cross came from the right and again it was from the Inter wing-back Dumfries. It was not clear who he was aiming for, but Daley Blind made the ball his by anticipating its angles and running off the shoulder of an opponent to arrive and thump it into the net.

The two goals had more than one thing in common. Dumfries was the supply line both times, while the crispness of Blind’s finish mirrored Depay’s earlier on.

It added up to a handy lead for the Dutch and it took the US until late in the game to make any kind of dent in it. There was the occasional, isolated chance. A Tim Ream poke was cleared off the line by Cody Gakpo, while Depay got away with an errant backpass as substitute Haji Wright could not find the angle needed to turn the ball in.

A goal did come from the corner that followed, though, and it was a strange one. The kick from the right was recycled by USA to Pulisic stationed on the same side and when he crossed low to the near post, Wright somehow got part of his foot

Depay hits wonder goal as Holland show why Van Gaal is predicting cup glory

on the ball and it looped up and back over his shoulder, over the goalkeeper and at least one defender and into the far corner of the goal. If Wright says that was deliberate then do not believe a word of it. It could not possibly have been.

With 15 minutes still remaining, the crowd was suddenly engaged. The Mexican wave that had started after about 10 minutes and continued sporadically even stopped for a while. All the crowd witnessed, though, was another Dutch goal almost immediately.

This time Dumfries was the scorer. Once again the Dutch football was neat and when Blind clipped a cross across goal to the far post, Dumfries volleyed it wonderfully and confidently into the goal.

What had threatened to be a tough night for Holland had turned out to be anything but.

Van Gaal will take all manner of satisfaction from that.

HOLLAND (3-4-1-2): Noppert 6; Timber 6, Van Dijk 6.5, Ake 6.5 (De Ligt 90mins); Dumfries 8, De Roon 6 (Bergwijn 45mins 6.5), De Jong 7, Blind 7; Klaassen 6.5 (Koopmeiners 45mins 6) ; Gakpo 6 (Weghorst 90mins), Depay 7.5 (Simons 82mins 6). Booked: Koopmeiners. USA (4-3-3): Turner 7; Dest 6, Zimmerman 6, Ream 6.5, Robinson 6; Musah 5.5, Adams 6, McKennie 6 (Wright 66mins 7); Ferreira 6 (Reyna 45mins 6), Weah 6.5 (Aaronson 66mins 6), Pulisic 6.5.

Referee: Wilton Pereira Sampiao (Brazil) 6.