By Jeroen van Barneveld
Jul 02, 2023 at 10:38 PMUpdate: 5 hours ago
The Orange women go to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with a wonderful feeling. The team of national coach Andries Jonker had no child for Belgium in the farewell match in Kerkrade on Sunday: 5-0.
After an excellent first half, the Netherlands already led 3-0 thanks to goals from Lieke Martens, Sherida Spitse (penalty) and Lineth Beerensteyn. In between, Stefanie van der Gragt had missed a penalty kick on behalf of the Orange.
After the break, the game of the Netherlands subsided somewhat, without Belgium actually becoming dangerous. Nevertheless, the Orange increased the margin to five. Victoria Pelova crowned a dribble with a goal and substitute Katja Snoeijs also scored a goal in the final phase.
For example, the Netherlands gave a calling card in the last match in their own country before leaving for the other side of the world. For the Netherlands, the World Cup starts on July 23 with a match against Portugal. World champions United States (July 27) and Vietnam (August 1) are the other opponents in the group.
Jonker’s team will leave for Sydney on Friday, so that the players have processed the jet lag well before the World Cup and are also used to the lower temperatures. In Australia it is eight hours later than in the Netherlands. It is also winter now. On Sunday, snow had fallen in Dunedin, one of the playgrounds in the Netherlands.
Captain Sherida Spitse was accurate for the Orange in her 216th international match. Photo: ANP
The Orange swirls and scores without Miedema
21 days before the first match, Jonker unfolded his plans for the World Cup in Kerkrade. The national coach opted for a 3-5-2 system, with Esmee Brugts and Victoria Pelova on the wings and Martens and Beerensteyn in the striker.
Fenna Kalma and Kika van Es were remarkably enough on the couch. The two were passed for the World Cup on Friday, but were still paged because Kerstin Casparij, Lynn Wilms and Shanice van de Sanden were not fit.
The big question for Jonker was whether the Martens-Beerensteyn couple could make up for the loss of top striker Vivianne Miedema. Miedema, who has to miss the World Cup due to a serious knee injury and is a guest at the Orange this weekend as a sounding board, was able to quickly answer that question in the affirmative from the stands.
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Martens came in after just two minutes after good preparatory work by Daniëlle van de Donk, although the Belgian keeper was not unpunished. After fifteen minutes of play, Van der Gragt had the golden chance of 2-0 after Belgium had made hands in the penalty area. Her weak penalty was only saved.
After 25 minutes, the Orange got a second chance from 11 meters. This time, regular player Spitse was allowed to moor and the captain made no mistake in her 216th international match. Beerensteyn crowned the excellent first half of Orange just before half-time with the 3-0. She curled beautifully from the turn.
After bringing in Snoeijs (for Beerensteyn), among others, the game of the Orange subsided somewhat, although Belgium rarely crossed the halfway line. The Netherlands nevertheless increased the margin to five. Pelova scored in the 63rd minute after a dribble and Snoeijs also headed in just before the end. As a result, Orange will board the plane with a wonderful feeling on Friday.
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2023-07-02 20:38:00
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