The big topic in the Netherlands before this game was cuddling. It happened like this: At a press conference, a young Senegalese journalist did not ask Louis van Gaal a question, but only expressed his admiration for the Bonds coach. Van Gaal, not averse to expressions of admiration, promised the young man “een big Knuffel”, a big hug, for his kind words. And if a Louis van Gaal promises a cuddle, then a Louis van Gaal cuddles too. He gave the praiser a warm hug after the question and answer session.
In the second group game against Ecuador, his team then knuffled after just six minutes. Daley Blind, Steven Bergwijn and a few others in the orange shirt hugged Cody Gakpo, who had just scored his second goal of the tournament. Ex-Bremen Davy Klaassen, promoted back to the starting XI by van Gaal, won the ball in front of the Ecuadorian penalty area, put it on Gakpo, who threw himself into the near corner.
What no one could have known at the time: after six minutes it was to remain almost the only good offensive action by the Netherlands. In the end it was a very lucky 1-1 draw against the South Americans from the Oranje point of view. Van Gaal thus misses out on qualifying for the round of 16, even if a knockout in the preliminary round is only possible in the event of a defeat against the hosts Qatar, who are sure to be eliminated by the draw. Ecuador play against Senegal on Tuesday to progress, a draw is enough for that, but the country is again trembling for their record goalscorer Enner Valencia. After equalizing with his 38th international goal, he was stretchered off in the 90th minute. He held one hand in front of his face before grabbing his already injured right knee.
“It wasn’t a good game from us,” said van Gaal after the game. “Ecuador could have won.” Captain Vigil van Dijk said: “We lost the ball too quickly and played it too slowly. They were a lot more aggressive. But at least we got a point in the end.”
From the Oranje point of view, it was only thanks to the crossbar that the score was not 1:2 shortly afterwards
The game also took this course because van Gaal returned to playing the football that took him to third place at the 2014 World Cup. He relies on a chain of five (this time without Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt) and on defensive discipline in his own leadership. After Gakpo’s goal, his team withdrew, built up two defensive lines like dikes that Ecuador was supposed to outplay. The South Americans didn’t succeed at all – and then got better and better.
Van Dijk made two saves in the 24th and 25th minute as the last resort in his own penalty area, a cross pass from Valencia, who scored twice in the opening game against Qatar, flew sharply through the Dutch penalty area, but without an addressee. Goalkeeper Andries Noppert saved a mighty Valencia shot soon after, and when a Pervis Estupiñán attempt found its way into his goal just before half-time, he was saved by the fact that Noppert’s Jackson Porozo was active offside.
Van Gaal, equipped with pen and paper on the substitutes’ bench, was already able to record a lucky half-time lead in a game at a moderate level. After the win against Senegal, he complained about his team’s possession game, which had to improve. That should also explain the promotion of ball possession player Klaassen, but van Gaal again criticized this part of the game after the game.
While the offside line saved Oranje before the break, the Dutchman’s safety mechanism failed immediately after the restart. After Ecuador pressured Elftal in possession, Frenkie de Jong played a risky ball to Denzel Dumfries. He lost it promptly, Noppert was able to fend off Estupiñán’s following shot, but he couldn’t fend off Valencia’s winner and although Noppert was sure that the three-time World Cup goalscorer was offside, that wasn’t the case. 1:1 And from the Oranje point of view, it was only thanks to the crossbar that it was not 1: 2 shortly afterwards. Gonzalo Plata hit that solid part of the goal with a powerful shot. In the end there were 15:2 shots on goal in favor of Ecuador in the statistics. Knuffel don’t have to expect van Gaal’s players from their general.