Netherlands frustrates Qatar

Netherlands beat Qatar 2-0 to finish perfect in Group A play at the Al Bayt Stadium on Tuesday.

The Netherlands won the group after wonderboy Cody Gakpo scored in the 26th minute and Frenkie de Jong doubled their lead in the 49th minute. Cody Gakpo netted his third goal in three games.

The Dutch advanced to the Round of 16 by winning Group A while the Qataris, who were already eliminated, became the first host to lose all three of its group matches at soccer’s biggest event.

The Qataris had been eliminated after their 3-1 loss to Senegal and despite huge investment in state-of-the-art facilities to host the World Cup, they came up short again on the pitch.

The Netherlands is a three-time runner-up at the World Cup, and also finished third in 2014, while Qatar was making its tournament debut.

The Dutch failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.