NETHERLANDS BEAT QATAR TO REACH WORLD CUP LAST 16

With a straightforward 2-0 victory over Qatar on Tuesday, Cody Gakpo scored again to secure the Netherlands a place in the last 16 as group winners. Within the first half-hour, Gakpo scored for the third consecutive game to guarantee the Netherlands' passage into the next round. Frenkie de Jong scored another goal in the 49th minute as the Dutch cruised to victory in a flat atmosphere at Al Bayt Stadium. The ignominy of not having a point at the end of the group stage befell Qatar, who were already eliminated before kickoff.

In their attempt to put the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia firmly behind them, the Dutch have made a solid start. After a disappointing World Cup, Qatar signed off with a whimper, becoming the worst hosts in history. Memphis Depay made his first appearance of the tournament as the Barcelona star recovered from a hamstring injury. After the Dutch broke through the Qatari defense in the fourth minute, Daley Blind was unable to convert an attempt that he scuffed directly at Meshaal Barsham.

After a neat move that involved both Depay and Davy Klaassen, Gakpo scored the opening goal in the 26th minute. As the winger drove forward, he fired a low strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to score his third goal of the tournament. The ball was denied by Barsham from close range, but De Jong reacted faster than a ponderous Pedro Miguel to score. Midway through the second half, substitute Steven Berghuis thought he had scored the third goal, but after a VAR review, it was ruled out for a handball by Gakpo. In the final minutes, there was some excitement among the remaining home supporters when Mohammed Muntari prodded the ball into the net, but the whistle had long since gone for a foul on Virgil Van Dijk. In stoppage time, Berghuis' curling strike from range almost added further misery to Qatar's plight.