The the Dutch Lionesses narrowly avoided defeat on Saturday in the World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic. In a tough game, Stefanie van der Gragt saved a point for the team of national coach Mark Parsons: 2-2. Despite the draw, the the Dutch Lionesses still have qualification for the 2023 World Cup in their own hands, but can no longer afford to make a mistake in the remaining duels against direct competitor Iceland, Cyprus and Belarus. The game was supposed to be played on Friday-evening, but it was canceled an hour before kick-off due to heavy snowfall in the Czech Republic.
Parsons had to shift considerably in his line-up due to injuries from Lieke Martens and Jackie Groenen, among others. As a result, Victoria Pelova and Lineth Beerensteyn were in the starting lineup. In addition, starting debutant Kerstin Casparij replaced Sisca Folkertsma in the right-back position. The Netherlands played poorly in the first half and did not handle the few opportunities it got. The Lionesses also went into the dressing room with a 1-0 deficit. The opening goal came in the eleventh minute, a few minutes after a great chance for Daniëlle van de Donk, from the foot of Sari Svitkova.
1-1! There’s the equalizer. A shot by Jill Roord hits the post, but Daniëlle van de Donk is razor sharp and shoots in the rebound?? pic.twitter.com/xt7Y69pGYB
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) Nov 27, 2021
Jill Roord lost the ball to Svitkova and her swipe from a good distance flew over Sari van Veenendaal in the crossing: 1-0. After the false start in the eerily empty and cold Mestsky stadium, the Netherlands was unable to clear the deficit before half-time. A rare shot by Vivianne Miedema from outside the box changed direction slightly and ended up in the hands of goalkeeper Barbora Votíkova. Just before half time, a great chance for the 1-1. Dominique Janssen got the ball at her feet after a free kick with some luck, but then shot the ball over in a promising position.
The Netherlands came to 1-1 six minutes after the interruption: Roord lashed out with the left and the ball came through the post in front of Van de Donk, who tapped in coolly. A minute later, the Lionesses were almost running behind the scenes again. With a good reflex, Van Veenendaal prevented Tereza Szewieczkova from taking advantage of a misstep by the defense and Gabriela Slajsova hit the crossbar from the ensuing corner. It was ultimately a harbinger of the 2-1 after an hour of play. Van Veenendaal was first able to save on a shot by Petra Bertholdova, but Simona Necidova hit the rebound in the rebound.
Past. Just like in Groningen (1-1), the the Dutch women bite the Czech Republic again. Stefanie van der Gragt’s late equalizer saves another point. pic.twitter.com/82WKMiSWIY
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) Nov 27, 2021
Necidova’s direct hit seemed decisive, as the the Dutch Women were unable to make a second goal. Votikova made an excellent save on a header by Miedema and a shot by Roord in the final minutes lacked precision. The Netherlands, with Shanice van de Sanden, Joëlle Smits and Kika van Es within the lines, prevented a defeat in minute 93: after an excellent pass by Van Es, Van der Gragt headed the 2-2 behind Votikova.