By Jeroen van Barneveld
Jul 28, 2023 at 03:30 Update: 2 hours ago
Stefanie van der Gragt and Victoria Pelova did not train with the Dutch national team a day after the World Cup match against the United States. The two fell ill on Thursday, the KNVB reports.
For privacy reasons, the KNVB cannot say whether Van der Gragt and Pelova have a hard time. Center defender Van der Gragt and right wing defender Pelova are important players for the Orange.
The team’s press secretary did say that Van der Gragt’s illness has nothing to do with her failure against the US (1-1). The defender had to be substituted at half-time after colliding with an opponent on a corner kick. According to the KNVB, she was struggling with “slight complaints” and was left behind in the dressing room “as a precaution”.
Lineth Beerensteyn still did not train with the Orange. The attacker followed a separate program on the field for the third day in a row. The big question is whether she will be fit in time for the third and final group match against Vietnam, which will be played in Dunedin on Tuesday (9 a.m. Dutch time).
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Under the watchful eye of KNVB director Nigel de Jong, a large part of the base team followed recovery training on Friday at the permanent training field in Tauranga. The Dutch team flew there with Van der Gragt and Pelova immediately after the game against the US. The players have a day off on Saturday. On Monday they board the plane to Dunedin.
The Netherlands needs a point against Vietnam for a place in the eighth finals. The Orange can also become group winner due to the draw against the American defending champion. A big victory over Vietnam, which has already been eliminated, seems necessary for this.
In the event of a tie in points, FIFA looks at the goal difference and the US has an advantage over the Netherlands for the time being. The US starts the game against Portugal at the same time as Vietnam-Netherlands.
2023-07-28 01:30:34
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