The boy with the golden touch is making a solid case to be the winner of the golden boot of this World Cup. Manchester United target and star Dutch striker Cody Gakpo put Oranje in the lead after 26 minutes.
The Netherlands beat hosts Qatar 2-0 to secure first place in Group A.
Qatar were already mathematically out of contention to advance to the round of 16, but they gave it their all against Louis van Gaal’s side nonetheless.
The boys in orange put on a dominant display, holding the majority of possession (63%).
Oranje also outshone their opponents Qatar in completions. The Dutch completed 784 passes, while the hosts only completed 452.
Another Manchester United target, Frenkie de Jong, also put his name on the scoreboard in the second half. Qatari goalkeeper Meshal Barsham saved Memphis Depay’s effort, but was unable to prevent De Jong’s toe dipping in. The Dutch playmaker pounced on the loose ball, beat two defenders to get there first and scored his second goal for Oranje.
However, the name of Gakpo will be illuminated tonight.
Gakpo in the headlines again
Gakpo is proving his worth and showing why he is a true golden boot contender. His right footed shot to the right post completes a perfect hat trick of goals in the group stage. He now he has marked with the head, the so-called weaker left foot and the right foot.
Gakpo’s form heading into Qatar 2022 was red hot for both club and country and he shows no signs of slowing down.
Gakpo by the numbers
Before the Netherlands faced Qatar, only three players had scored in three consecutive World Cup appearances for Oranje. Now there are four. The 23-year-old PSV forward is in esteemed company, joining Johan Neeskens (1974), Dennis Bergkamp (1994) and Wesley Sneijder (2010).
He has been directly involved in at least one goal in his last six appearances for the Netherlands in all competitions (5 goals, one assist). By club and country, across all competitions this season, Gakpo has been involved in 35 goals in 29 games, scoring 17 goals and assisting 18 others.
The young attacker will be a handful for defenses in the last 16. If Gakpo maintains this form, he will also prove problematic for commentators, pundits and writers.
We could run out of applause to describe his virtuoso performances in this tournament.
Erik ten Hag is already known to be a big fan of the striker, and Gakpo is doing nothing to dampen the Man United manager’s determination to sign him.
