Groothoff the Hero as Netherlands Stun USA in R16 of the U17 WWC Shootout
Goalkeeper Maren Groothoff was the undeniable hero on Tuesday as the Netherlands sprang one of the biggest surprises of the tournament, defeating the group-stage-dominant USA in a thrilling sudden-death penalty shootout to secure passage into the quarter-finals.
The European champions, who only scraped through to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, will now face the winner of the match between France and Spain.
Match Highlights
The Dutch got off to a dream start when Liv Pennock broke clear of the American defence and rifled the ball into the net in just the third minute to take a shock lead.
The USA were completely transformed after the break and finally levelled the scores just before the hour mark through a brilliant long-range effort from Micayla Johnson.
As the clock wound down, the Americans desperately pushed for a late winner. They came agonizingly close when Nyanya Touray’s powerful free-kick struck the top of the crossbar, and then when Lauren Malsom hit a shot straight at Groothoff, who kept her side in the game and set the stage for her final heroics.
Shootout Drama
In the sudden-death shootout, Groothoff delivered, saving Chloe Sadler’s effort to cement the victory and send the Dutch side into the next round. Pennock’s early strike and overall performance earned her the Player of the Match award.
Post-Match Reaction
Olivier Amelink, Netherlands coach:
“We believed, we believed. It was tough. The USA are a great team, great players. But so is my team, the fight, the work, the sprints until the last minute. Now we’re here. It was an unbelievable defensive effort, now we have to do that again, and again. Every opponent will have a tough game against us.”
Katie Schoepfer, USA coach:
“They’re a great team, they’re champions of Europe for a reason and we knew it was going to be a challenge. At this stage in a tournament nothing’s ever easy. We take it, we learn, we grow and the best thing I can do is support the girls. It’s never easy to not win but it’s how they learn and develop and grow from this.”
