Gakpo, Klaassen help Netherlands to win against Senegal

Netherlands bagged all three points in their first match of the FIFA World Cup against Senegal as Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen found the net twice at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on Monday. 

Gakpo broke the deadlock in the 84th minute of the game. Frenkie de Jong whipped a peach of a ball into the box and Gakpo darted in behind the defence beat Edouard Mendy to the ball and headed it straight into the top corner.

Klaassen doubled the lead in the stoppage time (90+9). Memphis Depay was one-on-one with Kalidou Koulibaly and stepped beyond him before shooting early. 

Mendy got down to the effort, but could only parry it straight into the path of Klaassen, who arrived late to slot the ball into the empty net. 

That pair of late Netherlands goals saw off Senegal in a game that really struggled to come alive until the final moments. With chances sparse and the quality far from world-class, the two sides appeared set to play out a stalemate, until Gakpo found the back of the net.