đŸ„‡ MOTM: The Dutch defensive destroyer | OneFootball

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Joel Sanderson-Murray·3 December 2022

đŸ„‡ MOTM: The Dutch defensive destroyer

Article image:đŸ„‡ MOTM: The Dutch defensive destroyer

Netherlands became the first team to progress to the World Cup quarter-finals after eating the USA 3-1.

And our Man of the Match is 



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Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands)

Article image:đŸ„‡ MOTM: The Dutch defensive destroyer


Without Dumfries perhaps there would be no last-eight appearance for the Dutch after what was a match-winning display from the Inter wing-back.

The 26-year-old provided two assists, scored a decisive goal and made a pivotal goal-line clearance in a 90 minutes where everything he touched turned to gold.

USA started the better of the two teams and looked the more likely to break the deadlock until a stunning 20-pass team move from the Netherlands was completed by Dumfries’ inch-perfect low ball finding the late arrival of Memphis Depay to finish off.

He was at it again in first-half stoppage time, wriggling away on the right-hand side of the box before laying the ball on a plate for Daley Blind to tuck in.

But it wasn’t just the incisiveness in the final third that was important, as Dumfries also made an equally as important intervention in his own defensive third.

Haji Wright’s looked to have blown his chance when a heavy touch took him around the Dutch goalkeeper and made the angle tight but he directed a shot at an empty net which looked like inevitable to hit the back of the net until Dumfries came out of nowhere to clear off the line.

The USA did manage to get back into the game moments later though Wright’s bizarre finish but Dumfires was there to step up again, this time finishing off a pristine move after arriving at the back post to half-volley home Blind’s cross. The wing-back to wing-back connection working again for Louis van Gaal’s team.

Netherlands march on. Denzel destroys the boys from Washington.