Sometimes in football, a goal is scored that is so perfect in its design and so majestic in its execution that it appears to have descended from the heavens themselves. Within those halls of greatness, the ‘team goal’ sits above the rest. It is the illustration of cohesion of movement and understanding of space, particularly when it involves 20 passes, all 11 players, moving the ball from one end of the pitch to the other, and is scored in a knockout match at the World Cup.
Particularly, too, when it is scored by the Netherlands, and when it is conveying the ethos of ‘total football’ the country helped to create.
The opening goal scored by Louis van Gaal’s side in their 3-1 win over the USA may be remembered as the finest team goal scored at this or any World Cup. That it came in response to a tactic that looked set to define this last-16 encounter heightens its brilliance too.
Before kick-off, the battle between the Netherlands and the USA was set to be as much of a contest between possession-based passing and high-energy pressing. After all, the USA had successfully disrupted England in their 0-0 draw in Group B, with the midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah earning rave reviews for their performances in Qatar.
The Netherlands, by contrast, had done just about the minimum required in Group A. Their passing had rarely looked sharp and the 3-4-1-2 system that Van Gaal has stuck by at the World Cup was struggling to provide the Dutch with any advantages against weaker opposition. Had it not been for the efficiency of Cody Gakpo, with three goals in three games from three shots on target, then the Netherlands might have found themselves in an uncomfortable situation.
So, in an opening match of the World Cup knockout stages that promised a tactical contest, Van Gaal responded by surrendering possession and allowing the USA to have the ball. It almost backfired spectacularly. The USA had a golden opportunity to take the lead within four minutes, with Christian Pulisic firing at Andries Noppert after being played onside by Daley Blind. The USA had enjoyed targetting the space behind De Jong, with Musuh’s runs into the channel dragging De Jong out of position in the opening exchanges.
It was all a ploy, though, as if the Dutch refused to consider keeping the ball unless the situation developed where the USA had dropped far enough off and the counter-press was taken away as a possibility.
And so, following a Dutch attack which broke down on the left and a clearance forward by McKennie, Virgil van Dijk accelerated away from Jesus Ferreira and played the ball back to goalkeeper Noppert.
Van Dijk received the ball back from Noppert and, for what felt like the first time in the match, the Netherlands were able to build from the back, with De Jong dropping into his favoured left channel to receive possession. You can already see that it is the USA’s intention to press, with Ferreira immediately looking to close De Jong down.
De Jong returns a pass to Van Dijk, who opens the play out to Denzel Dumfries at right wing back. At this point the USA left back, Antonee Robinson, is further forward than the midfield trio of McKennie, Adams and Musah.
Netherlands cycle play back to De Jong, through Jurrien Timber and Noppert. Ferreira again looks to close down De Jong, who is now virtually dropping between the Dutch centre-backs Nathan Ake and Van Dijk.
It is here where De Jong really starts to turn this move into something special, with the midfielder using his sense of space, speed, dribbling skills and low centre of balance to invite the pressure from Ferreira and turn away from him.
Here, De Jong may look in trouble but he expertly turns to his right and then switches back to his left before gliding away from the USA striker.
De Jong then plays the ball out wide to Timber and the USA have responded by pushing higher up the pitch. In this shot, they have five outfield players in the Dutch defensive third, as many as the team in possession.
Timber looks to drive up the line but Pulisic stays tight and the defender is forced to turn, as the Netherlands work the switch over to Ake via De Jong, who begins to drift again from the right side of the field. The Netherlands now bring in Blind at left-wing back, with Sergino Dest also becoming pulled towards the ball in the same way as Robinson did on the opposite side.
Blind now decides to play the riskiest pass of the move so far, trusting forward Memphis Depay’s movement to drop into the midfield and receive possession ahead of the holding midfielder Adams - who is tight to Depay, for now at least.
Depay’s touch finds Marten de Roon’s forward run, with the midfielder then spotting that Davy Klaasen has space in front of him now Adams has been dragged away from his position. McKennie’s sudden sprint reflects that the USA are about to realise they have seven players in front of the ball.
Klaasen’s touch back to Depay is also good and the forward now has room to turn in order to play another forward pass.
This time, Gakpo recognises the situation and drops into a hole.
Gakpo is able to turn and use his acceleration to drive away from McKennie. Over the course of play, Dumfries has gradually advanced on the right and is now the furthest Dutch player forward.
Dumfries holds his run and pulls wider, separating himself from Robinson. Gakpo’s pass is weighed to allow Dumfries to not take a touch, which also allows Depay time to make up the ground. Klaasen and De Roon continued their runs into the box, creating a huge hole for Depay on the edge of the box. Adams, crucially, has failed to make the recovery run after being turned by Depay moments before.
The pull-back from Dumfries hits the right area, but Depay still has a lot to do to control the cross first time into the far corner, finishing off one of the sweetest passing moves of this or any World Cup. Exactly one minute has passed since Van Dijk received possession, with the Netherlands playing 20 passes involving all 11 players in the goal.
Dumfries would also set up the Dutch’s second, which also came from a cut-back from the right and set up Blind’s crisp first-time finish into the corner.
There was still the odd moment of tension in the second half, particularly when Haji Wright pulled one back for the USA. But the Netherlands have been a side throughout the World Cup who have played in moments, and when they turned it back on Blind crossed to Dumfries for the third goal and a reverse of the previous two moves.
Whether it is enough to take down Argentina and Lionel Messi remains to be seen, but from accusations of “boring football” to one of the greatest goals in World Cup history, Van Gaal has left his mark on the tournament once again.
