logo
Depay, Dumfries earn Netherlands 2-0 win in Finland

Depay, Dumfries earn Netherlands 2-0 win in Finland

CNA07-06-2025

HELSINKI : The Netherlands kicked off their World Cup qualification campaign with a comfortable victory as goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries secured a 2-0 away win over Finland on Saturday.
Depay profited from a defensive error to give the Dutch the lead inside six minutes, and Dumfries added a second with a neat finish at the back post midway through the first half.
The Netherlands moved third in Group G with three points, behind leaders Poland, who have won both their games, and Finland who have four points from three matches.
The group winners advance to next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the second-placed side will enter a 16-team playoff competition to decide four additional places at the finals.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mastantuono's move to Real Madrid was premature, says River boss Gallardo
Mastantuono's move to Real Madrid was premature, says River boss Gallardo

CNA

time5 hours ago

  • CNA

Mastantuono's move to Real Madrid was premature, says River boss Gallardo

Franco Mastantuono's transfer to Real Madrid came too soon, while the 17-year-old was still developing and pivotal to River Plate's future, said coach Marcelo Gallardo ahead of the Argentine team's Club World Cup match against Monterrey. Gallardo acknowledged Mastantuono's departure will leave a void in his squad after the Spanish giants completed a deal worth around $45 million with River for the teenager earlier this month. For the Argentine manager, the midfielder still needed more time to grow at the club, but he acknowledged the early transfer as an understandable part of modern football. "It's natural, we train players for the world. Everything is happening earlier, young players are leaving faster, and I understand that those are the rules of the game," Gallardo told ESPN on Friday. "Our sporting project for the year was with him. We have to readjust, because there are players who, by their nature, are difficult to replace. "We knew that Mastantuono was going to leave at some point, but fans don't enjoy it that way. The market dictates the timing." Gallardo said he's urging Mastantuono to stay focused on the tournament despite the noise around his move. "All I want is for him to play naturally, to try to forget about everything that's going on, which is very difficult," he said. "I don't talk to him about where he's going to live or anything like that. I want him to play, which is what he knows how to do." River began their Club World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, a result Gallardo described as key to easing early nerves. "We are happy to be able to be in a competition like this, a new one," he said. "I'm excited about how it's going, it was essential to start with a win and get over the nerves. "Now we're preparing for the match in Monterrey, which is a different level of difficulty."

Is FIFA's Club World Cup flopping? Empty seats raise questions
Is FIFA's Club World Cup flopping? Empty seats raise questions

Independent Singapore

timea day ago

  • Independent Singapore

Is FIFA's Club World Cup flopping? Empty seats raise questions

FIFA has recently announced that the Club World Cup has sold close to 1.5 million tickets so far for the games. Spectators, however, are starting to notice that numerous stadiums had empty seats in some of the matches. This issue sparked a conversation on Reddit as one user asked if the Club World Cup is becoming a flop. The user wondered whether the competition is a 'good idea', given the half-empty stadiums and lack of fan interest — or if it might actually be 'bad publicity' for football. The user said, 'The Club World Cup may flop… Is soccer even popular in North America? The Club World Cup is compounded by political controversies surrounding the event. It seems disengaged audiences will diminish the competition's global appeal, failing to capture the excitement of football fans around the world and FIFA slashing Club World Cup ticket prices and offering free tickets to students and city workers due to low demand, just aiming at filling stadiums for tournaments, especially for television broadcasting.' Other Redditors commented on the post and expressed their opinions about this subject matter. One stated that the event should not have taken place in the United States, saying, 'America should not be hosting any football competitions. It would get more support if a South American country, a European country or even an African country. Americans aren't interested in football, and fans certainly don't want to travel to Trump's America. Too risky' Another commented about the location of the event. 'America is not exactly a top travel destination for foreigners anymore. Especially not from South America… Even if you aren't an immigrant, it's not exactly a safe travel destination.' Some commenters chimed in with their thoughts. One wrote, 'It's going to flop because it's another competition that nobody asked for. The previous format made it a lot more prestigious, but people are finally getting tired of FIFA's greed ruining the sport… It's no different to a preseason tour. Nobody cares about the results, and most of the fans are neutral.' Another added, 'I must say that I like the idea of a club World Cup but 32 teams is too many and the timing sucks.' See also Oil-rich Malaysian prince puts Valencia in his sights Another Redditor argued that the Club World Cup won't flop—not because of sporting merit, but due to its financial appeal. 'It won't flop because you've misjudged what it's designed to do. It's not designed to bring together the world's best teams. It's not designed to decide the best team in the world. It's not designed to bring a love of football to the USA. It's not designed to help America figure out how to run big sporting events,' they wrote. They added, 'Teams are taking part because there's a load of money in it. It might, potentially, knacker their pre-season preparations, but these clubs exist to make money rather than win trophies; winning trophies is simply a way of making money.' Despite these, FIFA declared that fans from over 130 countries have purchased Club World Cup tickets, and they are expecting more than 50,000 fans to attend the next couple of matches as the Cup continues.

Lionesses captain calls Hong Kong clash a ‘balanced fight' despite early stoppage and 1–0 deficit
Lionesses captain calls Hong Kong clash a ‘balanced fight' despite early stoppage and 1–0 deficit

Independent Singapore

timea day ago

  • Independent Singapore

Lionesses captain calls Hong Kong clash a ‘balanced fight' despite early stoppage and 1–0 deficit

Singapore's last home match before the start of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup was halted due to heavy rains. Despite the unfortunate cancellation, Singapore's national team, the Lionesses, showed their determination as they fought against Hong Kong, which is ranked 59 places higher. The Singaporean team had a great start at the friendly match, which was held at Choa Chu Kang Stadium. It was, however, called off four minutes into the second half with Hong Kong leading 1-0 at that point. Highlights of the match Winger Farah Nurzahirah made two early chances, but the play was stopped after 17 minutes due to a lightning warning, causing a one-hour delay. When the match resumed, Hong Kong increased their game, but 18-year-old goalkeeper Izairida Shakira made several key saves. A defensive mistake gave Hong Kong's Leung Hong Liu Anke an opportunity to score. Hong Kong nearly scored again before halftime. The second half saw the return of veteran midfielder Lim Li Xian, adding more experience to the match. Singapore kept pressing, but the worsening weather led to the match being cancelled. With this, Lionesses' Head Coach, Karim Bencherifa, remained optimistic and shared encouraging aspects from the game. 'I think the players worked really hard under difficult conditions. We were looking to continue, but it's still a positive outcome. A lot of work remains, but game after game, we're progressing,' he said. 'Kudos to Hong Kong – gave us two good games. Even though today's game didn't finish, I was very happy with what I saw,' he added. Furthermore, the Lionesses' team captain, Rosnani Azman, reflected on the team's performance and shared her thoughts. In a video shared on social media, she said, 'I think we did quite well… I mean, of course, playing against Hong Kong, who's like 80th ranking – it was a strong opponent.' The athlete added, 'I actually believe that it was a balanced fight. You can see that both teams are attacking, and we also create chances. It's just that we couldn't convert it into a goal… But I think it was a good fight, leading to the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.' Some netizens disagreed with the post, questioning the fairness of the match. One remarked bluntly, 'A loss is not balanced.' The Lionesses are now preparing for the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. They will leave and go to Amman, the capital of Jordan, which will host all the Group A matches.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store