A hat-trick by the Netherlands forward Sontje Hansen was all the Dutch needed to dump former world U-17 champions Nigeria out of the World Cup on Wednesday morning in Brazil.
The Ajax forward scored two goals inside the first minutes of the game. And the Nigerians, known for their comebacks, were not able to trouble the Dutch much before Hansen put the game beyond their reach in the 80th with a well-taken penalty.
Fresh off a 4-0 win over the USA that clinched their place in the knockout phase, Hansen and the Oranje picked up where they left off.
Jayden Braaf cut the Nigeria central defence apart with a pass to Hansen in the fourth minute and the No7 took a touch, then beat goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu to open the scoring.
Eleven minutes later Hansen was opportunistic, blocking Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi’s half-clearance and finishing clinically from 12 yards. His penalty made him the second player to score a hat-trick at Brazil 2019, joining Nigeria’s own Ibrahim Said.
Hansen now also leads the race for the Adidas Golden Boot with five goals in the competition.
Behind early, the Golden Eaglets found themselves in a position all too familiar at Brazil 2019.
This time Olakunle Olusegun was the one to pull them back. He turned Dutch defender Devyne Rensch with a slick cutback, then fired a low, burning shot from the corner of the penalty area that seared past goalkeeper Calvin Raatsie.
But the former champions could not do enough to cause the Oranje any more trouble. The Oranje will face the winner of Paraguay-Argentina tie in the quarter-finals on November 10.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
