The first round in group A passed without surprises - Ecuador did the job against pale Qatar, the Netherlands crushed the persistent Senegalese in the finish, so today's duel between the European and South American selections (17 p.m.) at the "Kalifa International" stadium is also a qualifier for the knockout round. .
The Netherlands didn't impress at the start, but they did what was most important, which was a victory at the start for a peaceful continuation of the tournament. "Tulips" are also favorites against Ecuador, so if they win, they could celebrate their departure among the 16 best teams already after two rounds.
"Ecuador is a stable team with smart, cunning players. They are physically strong, they are stronger than Senegal," Dutch coach Louis van Gaal said in the announcement of the match.
There wasn't much talk about the game at the conference. Journalists were more interested in the respect of human rights in Qatar, and Van Gaal said that they would not take any further actions, stressing that they "put an end to all political problems" by accepting migrant workers.
"Until now, everything has been about human rights, maybe with a reason, maybe not. But I certainly think it was enough," Van Gaal said.
During the conference, Van Gaal had an interesting encounter with a reporter from Senegal.
"I have no question," said a certain journalist to Guei.
"I am a young journalist who has just started his career. I just wanted to use this opportunity to take the microphone and say that I am a big fan of yours, even though your selection caused us a defeat at the start", the young Senegalese was sincere.
Van Gaal was taken aback and then addressed the reporter.
"Oh, can I hug you? I will bite you hard, because this was very honest, people don't often say such things to me," said the Dutch coach.
Soccer player "lala" Denzel Dumfries pointed out that the selection against Ecuador will not take any action regarding FIFA's ban on the use of the inclusive "One Love" captain's tapes.
"We have already paid enough attention to it, as the coach said. We received migrant workers and it was great for them and for us... We said what we had to say and now we have to concentrate on football," said Dumfries.
And in the camp of Ecuador there is relief ahead of today's match. Coach Gustavo Alfaro says that his team has nothing to lose
"We have nothing to lose, and victory brings us a lot. Holland is a strong team. She came to the championship to become world champion, not just to see how far she could go. We have to be strong both physically and mentally. We also need to run, to be faster than them. What we did against Qatar is not enough", believes Alfaro.
Double scorer Ener Valencia was injured against Qatar. He felt pain in his knee, but according to Alfaro it was nothing serious.
"By the start of the game, we will decide whether he will play. If he wonders, then he will be on the field. Nothing can stop him," Alfaro said.
The course of the tournament so far has shown that surprises are possible.
"Sometimes the favorite can lose. Every game is different", said the midfielder of the "tricolor" Jagson Mendes.
Bonus video:
