The Netherlands booked their berth at Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup at the expense of Norway. The Oranje beat their opponents 2-0, sealing their place at the finals, while Turkey’s win over Montenegro saw them move into the play-off spot. Norway, who were one of three teams in contention from Group G, were left on the outside looking in.
Already without their talisman Erling Haaland, Norway struggled against a rejuvenated Netherlands. The return of Louis Van Gaal has coincided with a sharp upturn in the Oranje’s form, and their newfound prowess was evident during the early stages when they took the game to their opponents.
Memphis Depay and Arnaut Danjuma went close with their efforts in the first half, but the Netherlands had to wait until the final minutes of the game to break the deadlock. It came through a combination between Danjuma and Steven Bergwijn.
The former rolled the ball into the path of the latter, who curved his run from the outside in, and smashed the ball into the top corner. Bergwijn later turned provider for Depay in the second-half stoppage time as he ran the length of the pitch with the ball before squaring it to his teammate for an easy tap-in.
Elsewhere, Finland suffered heartbreak at the hands of an already qualified France; the reigning World champions beat the hosts 2-0 to end their hopes of making it to the tournament in Qatar. Finland held Didier Deschamps at bay for the entirety of the first half, but the tide turned in favor of Les Bleus with the introduction of Karim Benzema at half-time.
The Real Madrid man, on for Moussa Diaby, put the finishing touch to an expansive build-up, giving France the lead in the 66th minute. Ten minutes later, Kylian Mbappe made it 2-0 thanks to his brilliance; the PSG man beat his marker on the touchline before coming inside from the left and curling a shot past Lukas Hradecky from a tight angle.
Finland’s defeat, along with Ukraine’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, sealed the former’s fate. Ukraine became the 12th team to join the play-off group ahead of the March window – a list that includes Italy, Portugal, Wales, Austria, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Scotland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and Poland.
