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Qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup should’ve been a very straightforward route for the Netherlands after being paired in a navigable group.
Before Saturday, the Oranje had won each of their last four qualifying matches, scoring 17 goals in the process. One more win was all they needed to book their ticket to Qatar.
However, Louis van Gaal’s side couldn’t keep it together, with a 2-2 draw against Montenegro putting ice on their qualification hopes.
The concerning part is that the Netherlands led for larger parts and were 2-0 up in the 81st minute, before a late collapse saw the home side crawl their way back to snatch a draw.
Netherlands capitulate against Montenegro
The Oranje have improved massively since exiting at the last 16 stage of Euro 2020 at the hands of the Czech Republic.
They remain unbeaten in the six matches they’ve played since the tournament but Saturday’s performance against Montenegro was terrible.
The Netherlands dominated possession and rightly rose into a 2-0 lead thanks to a double from Barcelona star Memphis Depay. But that was as good as it got.
Van Gaal’s side got complacent towards the end of the game and were punished for it after conceding two late goals in the space of four minutes to relinquish their lead.
No one tracked Nikola Vujnovic as he ran past the Dutch defense, rounded the goalkeeper and scored. A few minutes later, Vujnovic was again left unchallenged as he rose highest to head home the equaliser.
Oranje face tricky final group game
The Netherlands still sit at the top of Group G and lead Turkey by two points. However, the Oranje have now played themselves into a tricky position ahead of their final group game.
Had they beaten Montenegro, they would’ve secured automatic qualification to the World Cup. Now, though, they will go into their last game with a bit of pressure on their shoulders.
"The changes were not good but I cannot really explain what happened," Van Gaal said after the game, as quoted by Sportstar.
"This leaves a bad aftertaste but I'm not going to criticise my players. They also really want to go to the World Cup. We still have to play against Norway and we have to prepare positively for that. We still have a chance. We are still in the best position.”
With the Netherlands’ superior goal difference, even a draw against Norway would be enough to secure qualification to the 2022 World Cup. The downside, though, is that this is football and an upset could be lurking in the wings.
But the Dutch will go into the game knowing that such a tense situation could’ve been avoided had they beaten Montenegro.
