Cody Gakpo scored once more for the Netherlands at the World Cup, but they missed the chance to advance to the round of 16, as they were held to a 1-1 tie by a determined Ecuador, which eliminated the host country Qatar.
At the Khalifa International Stadium, the gangly PSV Eindhoven forward Gakpo, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, gave the Netherlands the lead with a spectacular goal in the sixth minute.
However, Ecuador fought back with such vigor that the Dutch were alarmed, and they deserved the equalizer when it came through Enner Valencia four minutes after halftime thanks to a sizable and vocal majority behind them.
After scoring twice in his nation’s opening victory over Qatar, Valencia, the captain of Ecuador, scored his third goal of the World Cup with Ecuador. The host nation, which has already been defeated twice, is the first team to be eliminated from their own World Cup as a result of this outcome.
One point separates the Netherlands, who have lost in the finals three times, Ecuador, and Senegal, who earlier upset Qatar 3-1, from moving on to the next round.
Next Tuesday’s last Group A match features Ecuador and Senegal, and Louis van Gaal’s Dutch team takes on the hosts knowing a draw will guarantee their spot in the knockout stage.
Memphis Depay, a Barcelona forward who had shined as a second-half replacement in his team’s 2-0 victory over Senegal in his first game in two months following a thigh injury, had been the subject of a lot of discussions prior to this match.
The 23-year-old Gakpo once again shone in front of the goal, despite the fact that he once again started on the bench.
He scored the late-headed goal that gave Senegal the lead, and he made a breakthrough on this occasion by slamming a left-foot drive, set up by Davy Klaassen, between Hernan Galindez’s despairing dive and the left-hand post.
Amazingly, though, that would be the Netherlands’ lone shot on goal throughout the rest of the game as they were largely pushed back by Ecuador.
Giant Valencia was a pre-game fitness doubt, so Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert had to squat to his right to block his shot.
When Pervis Estupinan deflected an Angelo Preciado shot into the goal during first-half stoppage time, Ecuador felt they had equalized. However, the goal was disallowed for Jackson Porozo’s offside.
At the beginning of the second half, Depay was substituted in for Steven Bergwijn, but Ecuador quickly equalized.
Estupinan was once more involved as Valencia followed in after Noppert saved the Brighton and Hove Albion winger’s effort to convert the loose ball.
Gonzalo Plata’s shot that hit the crossbar just before the hour mark may have given them the victory.
The sight of Valencia leaving on a stretcher late in the game and subsequently sitting with ice on his right knee derailed an otherwise hopeful night for Ecuador, and they will be hoping that their all-time leading scorer can recover swiftly.
They have only reached this level once before, losing 1-0 to England in 2006, so they will undoubtedly need him for a nerve-wracking match against Senegal with a spot in the final 16 on the line.