Netherlands chances of reaching the World Cup in Russia are hanging by a thread after a miserable 4-0 defeat to France in Paris.
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Dick Advocaat spoke of a game plan to get a good result in Paris to keep Netherlands chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup alive. Timothy Fosu-Mensah earned his first cap in a 4-3-3 formation which saw Vincent Janssen start over Robin van Persie.
However, from minute one in Paris, France dominated the play and deservedly took the lead on 14 minutes with Antoine Griezmann carving open the Dutch defence with a one-two before slotting past Jasper Cillessen.
France continued to dominate after the opener but could not find a second goal with Cillessen keeping out efforts from Paul Pogba and Kingsley Coman. At the other end, Netherlands didn’t even get close to an equaliser and Advocaat reacted at half time by switching Wesley Sneijder for Tonny Vilhena.
The substitute didn’t have an effect as France remained superior at the start of the second half. Robin van Persie was being called from the bench but moments before coming on, Kevin Strootman was shown his second yellow card for a soft challenge on Griezmann. Strangely with ten men, Netherlands got their best chance of the game, but with a free header, Arjen Robben couldn’t hit the target.
Eventually, Thomas Lemar added a second for France with a sublime strike from the edge of the box which flew into the top corner. The Monaco winger added a late third after a swift counter attack, before substitute Kylian Mbappe sealed a miserable night for the Netherlands.
The only good news for Advocaat is that Bulgaria beat Sweden in Sofia, which means Netherlands will still clinch second and a possible play-off spot should they win all their remaining three games.
However, playing like this, wins over Sweden and Bulgaria looks far from possible. Netherlands host Bulgaria on Sunday in what is now a do or die game.
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Appointing advocaat is a total mistake, even 13 years ago at euro 2004 with a good team holland struggled under advocaat.
I agree .. Advocaat was a bad choice.
Yup I agree too. Advocaat has passed his good years.
Before the match when they announce the starting lineup and formation, I already knew disaster will happen. How on earth timothy who is a not a natural right back and promes not a left winger? They were out of position. Depay and Tete was in the squad and none was played. Looks like no one in the KNVB learned any lesson from the previous and previous lost match against France. We can’t play our usual 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 against them. Our midfield after Bommel & Nigel De Jong era is not near their standard. We don’t have the Ball winning midfielder now. Strootman has not regain his best after few injuries. Sneijder pass his best years. Wijnaldum can’t win any balls. Bottomline we lost the midfield. The french allready know how to predict Robben and they cut his game. Janssen has no match fitness/sharpness and so does Cillesen , both are not first choice in their clubs. Honestly I was glad either babel or elia will be selected but either was not selected in the final squad as I think both can still play a vital part and as a mentor to Depay. We are now on the very edge of not going to Russia after few years back not in the EURO. We are now lost and need a miracle.
Why is Cillessen and Janssen even playing? Calling players that are in form and playing is what the coach. The whole of the KNVB and male Dutch football are in a downward spiral into an abyss. It’s remarkable how a 2010 WC finalist and 2014 WC third place nation could look so lost. I remember 2008 when France were thrashed 4-1. The entire KNVB from top to bottom is lost as is the Eredivisie players but mostly management. But on a side note there is still a chance. Suck it up and win those last three.
Different game from 2008, back then France and the Netherlands at the same amount of shots on targets (9 for each team) and france created even more chances but many went in for the Netherlands while nearly none for France.
Last night, Netherlands really struggled:
20 attemps on goal for France for 5 only for the Oranje… 13 shots on target for France vs only 1…
Just hoping that the Oranje will find good players and play well as they can usually do very soon
Very sad to see the current state of the Dutch team, but I can’t say i’m surprised by this result at all. It was a torrid performance, especially in midfield where they were completely out of their league. Wijnaldum and Strootman are supposed to be the 2 best MFs they have, and they were dreadful. Incapable of stringing any passes together and forging any rhythm or service to the forwards.
They are lucky beyond belief that Bulgaria beat Sweden, but even if they win all 3 of their next matches it may not be enough. Goal difference matters now, and Sweden still has Luxembourg at home. The concession of those 2 late goals could really hurt.
our midfield was awful it was like the french side playing against an amateur players, blind also was destroyed by the speed of coman , promes only can play against small teams he lack strength and he is not a world class winger i think depay was a better solution against sidibie ,janssen played only one minute in the pl and you playing him against france and an important match
villhena deserve a chance he was better than both strootman and wijnaldum the two players that i dont want to see them playing together again in the team
“it will be a disaster if we dont qualify ”
cillesen
fosu-mensah de vrij hoedt ake
van ginkel villhena
van de beek
robben depay
van persie
How Griezman got Strooman sent off shows what a coward he is and disgusting a person he is. Knvb should all resign and take their pro ajax views, appointments and anti rotterdam views with them. It has been downhill since the last world cup. They should go on their knees to ronald koeman.
Holland punches above its weight for a small nation. The clubs dont operate on an open chequebook basis like spain and england but excellent youth systems. They dont have the benefits of a big population ie talent pool like germany does either.
Seriously, it’s over oranje fans!
I’m not too worried not to see oranje in Russia; what really worries me is that oranje is sliding into an abyss without any hope. There is sth significantly wrong with the entire oranje football eco-system and a complete revolution must be taken right away. Otherwise, in 10 or 20 years, oranje will become another Hungary!
The tactics were all wrong, as was the lineup. Janssen doesn’t play for his club, yet he starts for the national team. Dost scores all the time for Sporting, yet he doesn’t play for the national team. Again, we are scared to play with 5 defenders against a team with such speed up front. Not only that, after talking a big game all week, everyone played scared. It wasn’t until Strootman was wrongly sent off that there was any ambition at all going forward. There was no chemistry either. This was as bad as I’ve seen Oranje play. The only positive is that Fosu-Mensah actually played with some effort, and he’s now tied to Oranje.
We can still get second place, but it goes without saying that the players need to wake up. Only they can get the job done and it feels like they’re waiting for someone to hand it to them.
Ok its finished.
It is literally heartbreaking for me to say this.
But the project is over.
I am trying to come to terms with it, try to square up to the facts.
That is, they started digging a grave for it a few years back, and last night France lowered the coffin and shovelled on the dirt.
Thank god Johan wasn’t here to see it.
It was probably the worst performance I have ever seen by my beloved Oranje. It was awful, dreadful, downright embarrassing.
Shaking head here. Dear lord we are in the Abyss. This is what happens when we don’t follow Cruyff and the level of football his generation created. Apparently mediocre football is good enough for the KNVB. It’s going to take us a decade or more to get out of this. We have the template set by Cruyff and we are not following it, whilst the rest of the world have taken our football and are now the best. We are so stupid…this performance is a disgrace and makes me so angry. We are now a third tier team in Europe.
I saw the France v Nederlands match last night. I knew the dutch would get beaten. At the moment the team is not good enough , there is still lots of talented players from the Nederlands. At the moment there is no unity in the squad and the players are not playing for each other , the dutch need to start playing as if their lives depend on it and stop living on easy street. The dutch do not need to change style need to change attitude. Nederlands need a JURGEN KLOOP LIVERPOOL FACTOR.
I got so angry, so dissapointed, last night that i would like to write down a lot of words to express my anger and my dissapointment about yersternight’s match, but no, its useless, i’ve resigned and for the first time since 1988 i have decided not to watch the next Holland’s game.
There is only one thing i hope, I hope those 11 men wearing orange in paris understand they didnt loose just a game, no sir, they destroyed 50 years of glorius history that began with Cruijf’s golden generation!
What a shame!!!! You dont deserve that shirts, its too heavy for you little men!
Im not dutch, im one of the milions of dutch football fans around the world that felt ashamed, betrayed, because last night’s game killed their passion!
Instead of watching a benchwarmer like janssen walk round the field, i’ll go on youtube and watch van basten scoring against russia in 1988, bergkamp eleminating argentina with that marvelous goal in 1998, that loss against brazil in 1994 wc that however made us proud…