Mueez Ajao
– Netherlands were held to a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in their World Cup Group A clash on Friday, eliminating hosts Qatar.
– Louis van Gaal’s side left it late to win their opener against Senegal and they were similarly unimposing on Friday.
– Cody Gakpo’s rocket strike on six minutes opened the scoring for Netherlands, but the side were unable to find a second.
Also Read: Late goals give Netherlands win over Senegal in WC opener
– Ecuador thought they had equalised on the stroke of half-time when winger Gonzalo Plata’s strike from the edge of the box was deflected in, but celebrations were quickly muted when VAR ruled out the goal for offside.
– The South American side did find a breakthrough eventually, though, when Enner Valencia slotted home following a parry from Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert.
– The result leaves Netherlands and Ecuador joint top of Group A on four points, Senegal one point behind in third and hosts Qatar the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
Not what we came for. #WorldCup #NEDECU pic.twitter.com/1LZXhTmOnW
— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) November 25, 2022
Each team takes a point!@adidasfootball | #FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 25, 2022
