Netherlands strikes late to beat Senegal 2-0 at World Cup

Virgil van Dijk of the Netherlands, left, and Senegal's Idrissa Gueye go for a header during the World Cup, group A soccer match between Senegal and Netherlands at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)Read more<Petr David Josek / AP

Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaasen scored late to give the Netherlands a 2-0 victory over Senegal at the World Cup on Monday.

Gakpo rose to glance in a cross by Frenkie de Jong in the 84th minute with the Dutch team's first effort on target in the Group A game at Al Thumama Stadium. Klaasen added a second right at the end of eight minutes of stoppage time by slotting in after Edouard Mendy only weakly blocked a shot from Memphis Depay.

The orange-shirted Dutch fans had been subdued until the late strikes as the Senegalese drums and chants were the dominant sound from the stands for much of the game. But Senegal's main problem was predictable: Without injured forward Sadio Mane, it couldn't convert any of its chances.

That was also down to Netherlands goalkeeper Andries Noppert, who made three strong saves to deny the Senegalese in his first game for the national team.