Holland beats South Africa and advances to the quarterfinals – 06/08/2023 – Sports

Disputes for places in the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup remain fierce. This time, the victory was at dawn this Sunday (6th) by the Dutch national team by 2-0 against South Africa, at the Allianz Stadium, in Sydney.

The teams met three times and the Netherlands won them all. In the group stage, all three African teams managed to qualify, which is unprecedented: this is the second participation of South Africa and the first time that the team has reached the knockout stage. Qualification came in dramatic fashion with a late goal over Italy, resulting in a 3-2 African victory.

The Netherlands is the current runner-up and one of the favorites for the world title. The Dutch women’s and men’s teams are feared at the World Cups, which is justifiable. A Clockwork Orange came first in a group with the United States, a team considered the biggest favorite for the title and which beat the Netherlands itself in the 2019 final.

The first Dutch goal didn’t take long to happen: 9 minutes into the first half, midfielder Jill Roord took advantage of the space left by the defense and successfully headed the ball. With 30 minutes of the first half, in addition to the goal conceded, South Africa is forced to make a substitution when Jermaine Seoposenwe is injured inside the defensive field.

In place of the African midfielder, striker Wendy Shongwe enters – an attempt to make the team more aggressive, but another blow shakes the African fortress. Defender Bambanani Mbane feels her ankle and also needs to be replaced. Even with the unplanned changes, the African team managed a finish, but goalkeeper D. van Domselaar closed the goal.

The Netherlands increased the lead in the 23rd minute of the second half. Lineth Beerensteyn took advantage of an assist from left winger Lieke Matens and still had the great failure of African goalkeeper Kaylin Swart.

Despite the speed and aggressiveness of striker Thembi Kgatlana and a goal disallowed in the 12th minute of the second half, the Clockwork Orange maintained control for a good part of the game, creating a South Africa with little organization and desperate plays. In 2019, South Africa lost all three group games and this time they went far, but unfortunately it didn’t: the team also lacked Van Domselaar and his impenetrable defense.

With South Africa going home, the Dutch team is preparing to face favorites Spain, who beat Switzerland 5-0 in the early hours of Saturday (05).