Memphis Depay puts Brazil clash aside, focuses on Dutch progress | OneFootball

Forward Memphis Depay represented the Netherlands again at the World Cup last Sunday (14), in a 2-2 draw against Japan, in the opening round of the tournament’s group stage. The Corinthians player started the match on the bench, but was brought on in the second half by coach Ronald Koeman and took part in the European team’s attacking moves.

Memphis came on in the 24th minute of the second half, replacing Malen. During the time he was on the pitch, the number 10 helped the Netherlands try to mount a response against the Japanese pressure, which was making it difficult for the Dutch to play out from the back.

Photo: Reproduction / Instagram

After the match, in an interview with TNT Sports, the forward was asked about the possibility of the Netherlands facing Brazil in a World Cup knockout round and whether it would be better to avoid a matchup against the Brazilian National Team. Memphis, however, said the team is focused only on securing qualification for the next round.

“We’re not thinking about that right now. Unfortunately, we drew the game. I think we played well. We should have come away with the win, and now we’re preparing for the next game. We’re not too focused on who we might face if we go through. First, we need to make sure we qualify,” said the player.

With the draw against Japan, the Netherlands has one point in the group standings and returns to action on June 20 against Sweden at 2 p.m. (Brasília time) at NRG Stadium in Houston. The Dutch national team’s final group-stage match will be against Tunisia on June 25 at 8 p.m. (Brasília time) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.