They call Eindhoven the city of lights and a footballing public eager to
send their team off to the World Cup in fashion was rewarded handsomely as the Netherlands’ top stars shone at full wattage.
If rival teams were somehow unaware of the blistering pace of Shanice van de Sanden, the Lyon flyer put on a stellar showing, heading home the Netherlands’ opener in the shadow of half-time before thumping home a third midway through the second half, with Arsenal hotshot Vivianne Miedema doubling the tally shortly after the interval.
The holders of the Dutch record crowd for a women’s football match replacing their own previous mark reserved their most electric applause of the night for Van de Sanden, who departed the contest in the 74th minute with the result well and truly secured.
With the competition in France just days away this was far from a friendly, with both sides pressing with intent and throwing themselves into tackles with abandon. That came at an early cost for the home side who lost Kika van Es in just the third minute to an early wrist injury, after the left back cannoned into a challenge with Hayley Raso that left both players prone and saw the Dutchwoman depart in tears.
The visitors enjoyed early dominance, earning repeat corners, but it was
the Netherlands who looked to pose a greater threat with the chances that came their way. Martens rounded Carpenter in the 12th minute to pick out Van de Sanden with a superb cross, but the far post headed effort failed to match the buildup. At the other end Matildas captain Sam Kerr twisted cleverly to conjure a cross from an acute angle, but Raso’s first-time volley trickled the wrong side of the post.
As the Dutch increasingly exerted dominance Australia’s best chance of the half came from nothing. An innocuous cross in from Rasowas shinned by the usually steadfast Stefanie van der Gragt, whose hands flew to her mouth as the ball looped agonizingly over the bar and nestled on the roof of the net.
As Kerr was relegated to a lesser light on a star-studded pitch, Australia’s captain cut a slightly frustrated figure as she went in robustly for a 50-50 with Arsenal striker Miedema, before a late challenge on Danielle van de Donk cost her side.
Van de Sanden again found too much space inside the box from the resulting free-kick, dispatching a clinical finish past Williams at her near post. If the Australian staff had a half-time plan to arrest the Dutch dominance it was thwarted only minutes after the restart as Miedema proved her quality.
Again it was havoc created from wide, as Van de Sanden stood up her marker and as her cross deflected to a teammate it was shifted quickly to Miedema, who flicked past two defenders to fire low across the Matildas’ goalkeeper. Having had little to do thus far, the Dutch skipper Sari van Veenendaal produced a save from the top shelf with 58 minutes at the feet of Tameka Yallop, after a Kerr flick deflected kindly into her path.
It was van de Sanden who fittingly added the cherry on top. A fine thumping volley to make it 3-0 and to send a strong message of intent to other World Cup contenders.
