VAR, injuries and a red card: Liverpool starter scores 98th-minute winner in chaotic friendly | OneFootball

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo scored twice for Netherlands (including a 98th-minute winner) as they defeated Uzbekistan in a chaotic friendly prior to the World Cup.

The Oranje were in need of a pick-me-up after their shock defeat to Algeria on home soil last week, and while they at least returned to winning ways against Fabio Cannavaro’s side in New York on Monday, it was anything but smooth sailing.

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All three Reds players in Ronald Koeman’s tournament squad played the full match, with Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk also featuring throughout.

Gakpo scores twice in chaotic Netherlands win

The match report from NL Times told the story of a rather eventful evening, with Netherlands struck by a huge injury blow before kick-off as Jurrien Timber was ruled out of the World Cup, his place in the squad being taken by Liverpool-linked defender Lutsharel Geertruida.

The Oranje went ahead just after the half-hour mark as Gakpo netted from the penalty spot, a goal which was very much in keeping with the run of play up to that point, and Van Dijk almost doubled the lead soon after with a header which went narrowly wide.

(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Dutch injury woes were compounded in the second half when Bart Verbruggen was forced off, and on 86 minutes they lost substitute Guus Til to a red card for handball, which was given after a VAR review (why VAR is needed in friendlies is another debate…).

Uzbekistan equalised in stoppage time, but that wasn’t the end of the story as Netherlands were awarded a 98th-minute penalty that Gakpo converted, with their opponents complaining to the referee that the Liverpool forward illegally stopped during his run-up.

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Ideal tonic for Gakpo after a tough season at Liverpool

So, not just a casual pre-tournament kickabout, then…

It’s a result which creates further question marks around the Oranje prior to the World Cup, but at least Gakpo will go into their first group game against Japan on Sunday buoyed by his two goals, which capped a performance that also included four key passes and one ‘big chance’ missed for the 27-year-old (Sofascore).

After a season in which he struggled for form (just nine goals in 52 games) and was the subject of frequent and heavy criticism, the two-goal salvo should be the ideal tonic for the Liverpool winger.

Meanwhile, Van Dijk and Gravenberch were quietly effective for their team against Uzbekistan, winning a combined 11 duels out of 15 and contributing 15 defensive actions in total, and both surpassed 90% with their passing success (Sofascore).

It hasn’t been the most ideal lead-in to the World Cup for Netherlands, to say the least, but the past week will be swiftly forgotten if they go on to shine at the tournament and enjoy a deep run into the competition.

Hopefully the Liverpool trio would have a big part to play in that and that they’ll all return to Merseyside nicely rested and free of injury.