The the Dutch Lionesses qualified effortlessly for the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games on Tuesday. The team of national coach Sarina Wiegman won 8-2 against China, which means that the first place in Group F is a fact. Due to the big win over the Chinese women, the Netherlands now faces a confrontation with the United States, which finished second in group G with a 0-0 draw against Australia.
Wiegman chose to put Vivianne Miedema on the bench against China. The top scorer of the Dutch women, so far good for six goals at the Olympics, suffered minor groin complaints everywhere in Saturday’s second group match with Brazil (3-3), which gave her a rest from the national coach. Wiegman was able to take this risk because the the Dutch Lionesses had already qualified for the next round. Lineth Beerensteyn took her place as forward and she repaid her coach’s trust with two goals against China.
However, the spell was broken by Shanice van de Sanden in minute 11. The wing attacker was sent off by Jacky Groenen with a nice cross ball, then passed the outbound keeper and signed for the 1-0. China straightened its back and managed to score the equalizer with just under half an hour on the clock. Wang Shanshan appeared in an offside position to push the ball into the far corner, but the images showed that the offside was cleared by right back Lynn Wilms. In the final phase of the first half, Beerensteyn handed over her business card. The attacker walked out of the Chinese defense in the 37th minute, before finishing calmly. In injury time, Miedema’s replacement scored beautifully after a measured cross by Van de Sanden.
The resistance of China was broken and after the break the the Dutch Lionesses scored happily, just like against Zambia (3-10). In minute 47, a cross from Kika van Es ended up at Lieke Martens and the Barcelona attacker made an impeccable header: 4-1. After more than an hour of play, Wiegman decided to bring in Miedema, as a replacement for Daniëlle van de Donk. Only four minutes after her entrance, the top scorer managed to find the net. Miedema cut herself free on the edge of the penalty area, after which she hit hard: 5-1. Wang Yanwen did something back on behalf of China twenty minutes before the end, but her goal was only for the statistics.
Just a minute later, Miedema laid the ball for Martens, who saw her effort disappear into the goal through the legs of the Chinese goalkeeper: 6-2. Victoria Pelova got it on her hips shortly after. The attacking midfielder slalomed through the defense of China and finished for the eighth goal of the Netherlands. In the 77th minute, Miedema determined the final score at 8-2. A corner kick from Renate Jansen ended up in front of her feet and the Arsenal player seized the opportunity with both hands. The top scorer now stands at 81 goals as an international. The the Dutch Lionesses close the group stage with 7 points from 3 matches and with a total of 21 hits. What follows is a confrontation with Team USA, a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final. At the time, the United States conquered the world title in Lyon by beating the the Dutch 0-2. The game in the quarterfinals will take place in Yokohama on Friday.
Related
More sports news