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Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City issued a shelter in place order as 25,000 Dutch fans were packed into the fan festival in the P&L District. Thunderstorms and lightning forced everyone to stay put. The all clear came less than 90 minutes before kickoff. The Oranje marched through the puddles onto the pitch, killing the suspense in just seven minutes.
When the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City issued a shelter-in-place order, 25,000 Dutch fans were packed into the fan festival in the Power & Light District. With thunderstorms and lightning, everyone was told to stay put. The all-clear came less than 90 minutes before kickoff. The Oranje stepped onto the waterlogged pitch and killed the suspense in just seven minutes.
In the 3rd minute, Dumfries sent in a cross from the right, and Tunisia captain Sassi headed it into his own net. In the 7th minute, Van Dijk flicked on a corner kick with a header, and Brobbey poked it home, scoring his third goal of the World Cup. Opta confirmed: This is the fastest two-goal lead in Dutch World Cup history.
Possession: 71.6%. Shots: 20 to 10. Expected goals: 1.68 to 0.43. The match was dead after half an hour, but Koeman made only one substitution. He kept his starters pressing at a low intensity, leaving time for De Jong to oil those rusty gears.
In the second half, Mastouri pulled one back with a header in the 54th minute. Tunisia had barely caught their breath for eight minutes before Van Hecke scored in the 62nd minute with a header from a corner kick. The ball deflected off Ben Slimane and went in. 3-1.
After three group stage matches, the Netherlands had scored 10 goals. The last time they hit that number in the first three games of a World Cup was in 2014.
De Jong fired back at outside criticism. After being criticized for his performance against Japan, he responded directly: "A lot of people simply don't understand football. They watch, but they see nothing." Koeman had previously covered for him, admitting De Jong wasn't at 100% physically but saying his tactical value was irreplaceable. Preferring to have an overabundance of possession just to let a less-than-fit De Jong find his rhythm on the pitch was itself the harshest message to the bench.
Tunisia's disaster didn't stop with the thunderstorm. Three losses, 2 goals scored, 12 conceded, zero points at the bottom, averaging four goals against per game. On June 16, the federation fired Lammouchi and urgently appointed Frenchman Renard on a contract until the end of the World Cup. Ten days later, nothing had changed. Captain Sassi conceded an own goal in the 3rd minute, the tournament's 12th, tying the single-tournament record from 2018. He publicly apologized after the match, admitting the team "lacked the quality to compete at the World Cup." The changes a new coach can bring are probably only enough to alter the warm-up positioning.
Final Group F standings: Netherlands first with 7 points, Japan second with 5, Sweden third with 4. The prize for the group winner was a trip to Monterrey on June 29 to face Morocco; second-place Japan went to Houston to face Brazil. Koeman had calculated carefully before the match: "You have to focus on winning. Of course we want to finish first. The result will affect the subsequent matchups." He got the draw he wanted. Which opponent, Morocco or Brazil, will be the tougher nut to crack? That's a matter for three days later.