Netherlands wants to beat Vietnam to avoid Sweden

New Zealand With the desire to take the top spot to avoid Sweden in the round of 16 of the 2023 World Cup, coach Andries Jonker aims to win by a large margin against Vietnam.

After defeating Portugal 1-0 and drawing with the US 1-1, the Netherlands finished second in Group E. They both had four points but were behind the US in goal difference (+1 compared to +3). In the final round on August 1, the US faced Portugal, while the Netherlands met Vietnam - a rookie team that was eliminated after two consecutive losses.

According to coach Jonker, the goal set for the Netherlands in the upcoming match is not just three points. "The Netherlands need to win to qualify. But that is not all. We need to do everything possible to win big and win the group," he shared on NOS (Netherlands). "The best runners-up will all go through. But it is best to win the group. That is smarter. Let's see who we might have to face in the round of 16, it is Sweden, Italy or South Africa. In theory, Sweden is stronger so we want to avoid them."

Coach Andries Jonker celebrates with the Netherlands players during the 1-1 draw with defending champions the United States in Group E of the 2023 World Cup. Photo: AFP

According to the bracket, the winner of Group E will meet the runner-up of Group G. In this group, Sweden is leading with two consecutive victories against South Africa (2-1) and Italy (5-0). The possibility of them winning the group is very high when the last round only has to face Argentina - the eliminated team.

Sharing the same opinion with the coach, left winger Esmee Brugts also said that scoring many goals against Vietnam is important. The player born in 2003 even declared that she will play better than the previous two matches, when facing Vietnam.

"Every game I play a little better," she said. "In the game against Portugal, I felt a little bit of pressure because it was my debut at the World Cup. But then I took the pressure off and played well. In the second game, I also felt pressure and tension when facing the US, a big team. But I received support from my teammates. I played safely. The 1-1 draw was very important. I hope to play even better in the next game. I hope I can score."

The Netherlands finished second at the 2019 World Cup. They are currently ranked 9th in the world , 21 places above Vietnam.

Lam Thoa

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