Tag: Netherlands

Amid shots off posts, VAR, and extra time, Spain ousts the Netherlands

It got a little weird in Wellington

This unprecedented, unusual World Cup will feature at least one new semifinalist.

Spain defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in extra time in a game defined by the woodwork, some big VAR decisions, and more than a little strangeness.

Despite keeping Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas on the bench for over 100 minutes, and long spells of the game seeming to be about how they might never score, La Roja moved on thanks to Salma Paralluelo’s extra-time strike, which capped off a game that saw tactical caginess give way to late drama.

It almost never happened. Spain had plenty of the ball, but seemed cursed to walk off wondering how their possession and chances hadn’t amounted to enough goals.

How else do you explain a sequence like this, in which Alba Redondo had a shot tipped onto the post, tapped the rebound against the same post, and then had a very convincing penalty shout (stemming from Stefanie van der Gragt clearly handling the ball while on the ground) turned down?

Roughly 20 minutes later, the Dutch survived an even closer call. Mariona Caldentey again served up a good ball from the left, and Redondo could have easily tapped home from four yards.

Instead, she opted to give Esther González an even closer-range chance, but the Real Madrid striker happened to be offside. Esther may have put the ball in the back of the net, but the score still justly stood at 0-0.

Maybe the fates just didn’t want to see either team score. Shortly after the hour mark, Lineth Beerensteyn appeared to have won a penalty after beating Irene Paredes to a ball over the top. Referee Stéphanie Frappart took a long look at her assistant, gave the penalty, booked Paredes…and then took it all back after checking VAR.

Finally, in the 80th minute, out of the most innocuous Spanish attack, Paralluelo’s hopeful ball into the box was touched down by van der Gragt’s hand.

Was it in the area? Frappart didn’t grant a penalty at first, but VAR intervened yet again. After a check of the monitor, this time Frappart decided that this game could finally, possibly, have a goal.

Caldentey stepped up, and though she hit the post — a sick cosmic joke in this game, apparently — the ball managed to carry over the line. Daphne van Domselaar’s excellent tournament did not budget for a dive in the right direction, and Spain had an 81st minute lead.

So, misery for van der Gragt, right? A resilient effort comes up just short after a handball that was inside the box by inches. The veteran had announced that she will retire once the tournament ends, and what a brutal way to go out.

Well, about that: the Netherlands threw van der Gragt up front as a prayer, just a big ol’ target striker hoping to win one header in stoppage time to somehow create a goal.

Perhaps they should have tried it earlier? Just seconds into stoppage time, the Dutch center back — later confirmed onside by maybe a foot — produced a clinical long-range shot, stunning Spain with an equalizer.

Extra time was required, but there was no escape from the importance of the posts at Wellington Regional Stadium. At one end, Beerensteyn followed up her own somewhat confusing bit of big talk by missed a sitter.

Shortly thereafter Paralluelo — in one of Spain’s only attempts at direct play all game — beat her defender, kissed the post with a shot past van Domselaar, then wheeled away to celebrate as it crossed the line.

This time, there were no more interventions from the post, VAR, or Frappart. Spain advanced to a first-ever women’s World Cup semifinal, where it will face Sweden.

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The five biggest breakout stars of the 2023 World Cup so far

Several youngsters have shined at their first ever World Cup

The 2023 Women’s World Cup has been very eventful thus far. The United States got eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, Germany failed to reach the knockout stage, and plenty of underdogs managed to find their way through the group stage.

But while the storylines surrounding the teams have been incredibly fun to watch, the actual players have been putting on a show as well. Obviously, the stars have been out in full force, but some of the more unknown players have been performing at a high level, too. Those players deserve the same amount of recognition.

Let’s take a look at some of the top breakout stars of the tournament.

Netherlands star Beerensteyn happy USWNT and ‘really big mouths’ out of World Cup

Beerensteyn’s reaction to hearing the USWNT was eliminated? “Yes! Bye!”

When Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn heard the U.S. women’s national team was eliminated from the World Cup, she wasn’t shedding any tears.

“Yes! Bye!” Beerensteyn claimed was her reaction upon heading of the USWNT’s shootout loss to Sweden in the round of 16.

According to Beerensteyn, the reason she was so happy to see the USWNT have their worst World Cup ever was the team’s overconfidence heading into the tournament.

“From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like, ‘Yes! Bye!” Beerensteyn told the media on Thursday. “From the start of the tournament, they had really big mouths and were already talking about the final.

“I was thinking you first have to show it on the pitch before you talk [big]. I’m not being rude in that way, I still have a lot of respect for them, but now they’re out of the tournament, and for me, it’s a relief, and for them, it’s something they will have to take with them in the future.

“Don’t start to talk about something that is far away. I hope they will learn from that.”

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly which comments Beerensteyn was referencing, though the USWNT was of course criticized for various other elements of its behavior at the World Cup, from not signing the national anthem to Carli Lloyd slamming the team for its perceived over-exuberant celebrations after narrowly avoiding defeat against Portugal.

Beerensteyn and the Netherlands drew the USWNT 1-1 in Group E, helping them to a first-place finish that saw them face South Africa in the last 16. After defeating South Africa, the Dutch will take on Spain in a quarterfinal starting at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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2023 Women’s World Cup Knockout Stage Day 2 Recap: USWNT eliminated by Sweden

The top two ranked teams in the world are now out before the quarterfinals

The drama has reached a whole new level at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. On the second day of knockout stage games, the USWNT got bounced, meaning the top two ranked countries in the world (the U.S. is first and Germany second in FIFA’s rankings) are no longer in contention — and it all came down to penalty kicks.

But before we dive into the two games from the second knockout stage day, here is your reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! Make sure to check out the full TV/streaming schedule, a power ranking of all 16 knockout stage teams, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s dive into the games.

World Cup knockout round power rankings: Evaluating all 16 teams

Evaluating the hopes of the 16 teams left at this World Cup

A World Cup group stage full of surprises has resulted in a truly intriguing set of 16 teams going through to the knockout rounds.

Some favorites have looked the part, but the list of big teams that have underachieved is significantly longer (it’s not just the U.S. women’s national team, folks). A couple of second-tier teams have stepped their game up, while some unheralded sides have shown that while no one was watching, they were making major strides.

The result is a round of 16 where it feels like nearly anything could happen. Could the USWNT join the likes of Germany, Brazil, and Canada in being out? What about the possibility of teams like Jamaica, Morocco, and South Africa getting to the quarterfinals?

It’s been completely unpredictable, so all of these things are distinctly possible. Still, Pro Soccer Wire tried to sort out the likelihood of any one team making a run to the final. Somewhere between their results in this tournament, past track record, and overall talent level, we’ve settled on a power rankings list that everyone everywhere will surely have no problems with.

The top five goals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup (so far)

There were some unbelievable strikes in the group stage

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been quite eventful thus far, providing a healthy mix of drama, highlight-reel plays, and late-game heroics. And now that the group stage of the tournament has come and gone, let’s take a beat to reflect on some of the best goals of the tournament so far.

But before we do that, here is yet another reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can get the full TV/streaming schedule, a complete list of the finalized group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s take a look at the top five goals of the tournament thus far.

2023 Women’s World Cup Day 13 Recap: USWNT barely scrapes by

The USWNT barely made it through after a lackluster draw against Portugal

On Day 13 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there were four games, all of which were crucial in determining which teams would be making it through to the knockout stage. The Netherlands took on Vietnam, Portugal faced off against the USA, Haiti played Denmark, and China battled it out against England.

But before we discuss the games, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can find the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Let’s check out what happened on Day 13.

Three things on the USWNT going through peaks and valleys in Netherlands draw

Despite a performance that wasn’t as bad as it seemed, there are major questions for Vlatko Andonovski

The U.S. women’s national team didn’t expect a straightforward path to another World Cup final, and that instinct looks like the correct one.

The USWNT found itself in a serious battle against a feisty Netherlands side in a 1-1 draw that saw head coach Vlatko Andonovski under fire for a lack of substitutions, among other issues.

The Dutch, on their first attempt at anything resembling an attacking foray, took a surprise early lead through Jill Roord on a sequence featuring four or five errors. That goal left the U.S. reeling, but just as importantly served to inspire the Oranje, who proceeded to threaten to run the USWNT off the pitch.

The U.S. managed to avoid letting the Netherlands turn their control into a ton of chances, and after a conflict between Lindsey Horan and Daniëlle van de Donk, flipped the tables. Horan scored seconds after that dispute was broken up, and as much as the USWNT showing drew criticism, the team will look back and wonder how their dominance of the game’s final half-hour didn’t result in a game-winning goal.

It was intense, breathless, controversial, and everything else people want out of high-level sports…except, if you’re a U.S. fan, it didn’t end with the expected three points.

Let’s dig into the most charged-up game of this World Cup thus far:

Morgan: USWNT not happy with Netherlands draw

The fate of Group E is in the balance after the 1-1 result

Alex Morgan has admitted that the U.S. women’s national team is “not happy” after only managing to draw the Netherlands 1-1 in their second game of the World Cup.

The U.S. fell behind midway through a subpar first half after Jill Roord found the net with a low drive from the top of the box.

Fueled by Lindsey Horan, the USWNT stormed back in the second half but still only managed to draw in a result that leaves Group E hanging in the balance.

The USWNT is level on points with Netherlands atop the group, sitting in first place due to a two-goal advantage in goal differential. But with the Netherlands facing Vietnam in their final group match, a heavy win would put the pressure on the U.S. to follow suit against Portugal.

Morgan was well aware of the repercussions of the USWNT’s failure to win against the Dutch, and could not hide her frustration with the result.

“We knew [the equalizer] was coming. We knew it was inevitable and not to get the second one, I think it’s a bit unlucky,” Morgan told ESPN.

“We played in their half almost the entire second half. I don’t even think they had really dangerous opportunities in the second half. So just to see us come into the locker room, regroup and come out in the second half and put on that display, I’m really proud of the group.

“But yeah, we’re not happy if we’re not getting the win. Obviously, it puts first place of the group up for grabs now. So we have to close the job when we play Portugal in a few days.”

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2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 8 Recap: Horan, Van de Donk go at it

The eighth day at the World Cup saw the USWNT (but not Australia) avoid an upset

On Day 8 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there were plenty of interesting storylines to follow, including a shocking draw and an improbable upset with huge ramifications. There were three games on Day 8. The U.S. women’s national team took on the Netherlands, Portugal faced off against Vietnam, and Australia battled it out against Nigeria.

As usual, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! We have you covered will the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s see what happened on Day 8.