The Netherlands appeared to have qualified for the World Cup but unfortunately, they were denied qualification after Montenegro scored a late equalizer to earn a 2-2 draw. Memphis Depay made a double strike for Oranje leading the team to win but with 8 minutes remaining on the clock, Ilija Vukotic and Nikola Vujnovic helped Montenegro draw with the Netherlands.
Earlier in the day Norway’s goalless draw with Latvia offered the Oranje a chance to win Group G with a game to spare at Podgorica City Stadium, and a Memphis Depay double put them on course to achieve just that. In the first half of the football match, Depay scored from the penalty spot then added to his tally after the break to give Louis van Gaal breathing space.
Montenegro appeared to be out of it, but Ilija Vukotic halved the deficit with eight minutes remaining, and fellow replacement Nikola Vujnovic startled the Netherlands by equalizing at 86 minutes. Heading into Tuesday’s tight final group encounter against third-placed Norway the Oranje lead their opponents and Turkey by two points.
In the 16th minute, the Oranje had a let-off when Vladimir Jovovic sent a tight-angle shot into the side-netting after Justin Bijlow was undecided about coming for a cross. After Donyell Malen turned his man and fizzed an inviting cross into the Villarreal winger’s path, Arnaut Danjuma blazed a first-time shot just wide, before Bijlow palmed away a Jankovic drive.
Steven Bergwijn replaced Malen at halftime for a Netherlands team that doubled their lead nine minutes after the break to make another major step on the path to Qatar. Depay nipped in front of Stefan Savic to turn in a cross from the marauding Denzel Dumfries, and it was no surprise that he found the back of the net once more.
On the other hand, Vukotic circled Bijlow and applied the finish to send Netherlands nerves jangling, while Vujnovic climbed above Daley Blind to head home, leaving the group leaders speechless. Here are match highlights of Netherlands and Montenegro draw for the Qatar World Cup qualification.
