The Netherlands cruised to victory over a disappointing Tunisia without breaking a sweat and clinched first place in Group 6!

The “Oranje” made things easy for themselves early on, scoring two goals in the first 7 minutes of the match, and although the Africans pulled one back early in the second half, Koeman’s team ultimately secured a 3-1 victory, claiming first place in the group and setting up a challenging matchup against Morocco in the Round of 32! On the other hand, the Tunisians suffered their third defeat, having disappointed with their performance in this year’s tournament.

The match began with Tunisia threatening first, as a volley by Garbi from a prime position sailed just over the crossbar of Verbruggen, but the Netherlands didn’t take long to find their footing, opening the scoring in the 2nd minute following a cross by Dumfries and an own goal by Skiri!

In fact, the “Oranje” scored a second goal in the 7th minute, when, following a free kick and a header pass from Van Dijk, Bromley had no trouble finding the net from close range to make it 0-2! The Netherlands’ dominance continued, with Tunisia defending en masse in their own half and trying to create threats through quick counterattacks.

The pattern of the match didn’t change even at the start of the second half, with the Netherlands clearly the better team, despite already leading by two goals. In the 51st minute, Dumfries found himself in a shooting position, but his shot was blocked by Ben Hamida just as the ball was heading toward the goal. Tunisia scored in the 55th minute against the run of play, following a corner kick by Mezbrih and a powerful header by Mastouri, but their joy was short-lived, as in the 63rd minute, following a corner kick by Ryders, Van Hecke headed the ball in to make it 1-3!

In the 66th minute, the Netherlands missed a great chance for a fourth goal, with Reiders hitting the crossbar, while in the 75th minute, Verbruggen made a difficult save to deflect a powerful shot by Mezbrie for a corner. In the “final stretch” of the match, the Netherlands conserved their energy in anticipation of the difficult road ahead, cruising to a 3-1 victory without breaking a sweat.

Highlights of the game

Team lineups:

Tunisia: Damen, Valeri, Khedira (68’ Belhaj), Talbi, Ben Hamida (68’ Ben Ouanes), Abdi, Skiri, Meibri, Garbi (75’ Chaouat), Mastouri (90’+1’ Tounekti), Slimane (68’ Atsouri)

Netherlands: Verbruggen, Damfris, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Ake, Graffenberg, De Jong (72’ Kupmeiners), Reiders (72’ Klaas-Jan), Malen (72’ Summerville), Gakpo (84’ Lang), Brobbey (78’ Depay)

*photo source: AP