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Netherlands vs Ecuador: Taking on Ecuador at Khalifa International Stadium on Friday, the Netherlands will look to make it two wins from two at the 2022 World Cup.
In their Group A opener, Ecuador beat tournament hosts Qatar 2-0 on Sunday, also under Louis van Gaal’s guidance.
At the end of their opening match against Senegal, Netherlands had to be patient as it looked as if the points would be shared, with the two teams level at 0-0.
A Cody Gakpo header gave Holland the lead in the 84th minute, before Davy Klaassen sealed the win in the ninth minute of added time to make it a perfect start to Group A.
The Netherlands play Ecuador on Friday before facing Qatar next Tuesday, and it will be fascinating to see what this group of players is capable of in the World Cup, since they have impressed in both of their previous World Cup appearances.
National teams, who have never won the World Cup, were not present at the finals in 2018, but they made it to the finals in 2010 and came third in 2014.
Van Gaal’s side would face either England, Wales, the USA or Iran in the last-16 stage of the competition if they win Group A.
In spite of this, the hosts will not look too far ahead, especially ahead of a match against Ecuador, which proved too strong for them in the opening match.
Former West Ham United forward Enner Valencia scored both goals against Qatar, first from the penalty spot in the 16th minute and then in the 31st to make it 2-0.
The Ecuadorian team will face Netherlands on Friday before taking on Senegal on Tuesday, and Senegal will be desperate to rebound from their defeat to Holland.
Despite not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the Tricolor were present at the 2014 competition, where they were eliminated in the group stage; their best result came in 2006, when they advanced to the last-16 stage before losing to England.
Byron Castillo’s involvement during the qualification fixtures had raised some doubts about Ecuador’s place in Qatar, with Chile and Peru filing appeals, but FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 23-year-old was qualified to represent Ecuador in Qatar.
With 26 points from 18 matches, Ecuador finished fourth in their South American qualification campaign.
In the qualification phase, La Tri lost only one of their seven matches, including one-one draws with Brazil and Argentina, which shows their credentials, and they should have no trouble winning this match.
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