Related videos:
The Netherlands defeated Tunisia 3-1 this Thursday at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, in the final match of the group stage of the , and qualified as the leader of the group with seven points.
The match started explosively for the Oranje. In the third minute, the Tunisian Ellyes Skhiri scored an own goal to put his team behind. Just four minutes later, Brian Brobbey extended the lead with a clean strike to make it 0-2 before the fifteen-minute mark.
Tunisia, already mathematically eliminated since the previous matchday, found a consolation goal in the second half: Hazem Mastouri reduced the deficit in the 54th minute to make it 1-2. The Dutch response was immediate, and Jan Paul van Hecke sealed the match in the 62nd minute with the final score of 1-3.
The statistics reflected the total dominance of the Dutch: 72% possession compared to 28% for Tunisia, 20 shots to nine, and seven on target to four. Neither team received any cards during the 90 minutes.
In the 72nd minute, the Dutch coach made three simultaneous substitutions — Teun Koopmeiners, Justin Kluivert, and Crysencio Summerville came on — to manage the score and give key players like Frenkie de Jong and Tijjani Reijnders a rest.
With this victory, the Netherlands concludes the group stage as the undisputed leader of Group F: two wins, one draw, ten goals scored, and four conceded. Tunisia, on the other hand, finishes its tournament participation with three defeats, zero points, just two goals scored, and twelve conceded, making it the most scored-on team in the group.
Tunisia's journey in the 2026 World Cup was quite negative: it lost 5-1 to Sweden on the first matchday, then was crushed 4-0 by Japan in the second, and this Thursday it fell to the Dutch, finishing with a goal difference of -10.
The Netherlands advances to the Round of 16 as the top qualifier from Group F. The second spot was to be determined in the simultaneous match between Japan and Sweden in Dallas: the Japanese arrived with four points and the Swedes with three, both with chances to progress.
Filed under: