The Netherlands' World Cup Group F match against Tunisia was briefly suspended at the beginning of the second half after Tunisia took the field with only 10 players. The Dutch led 2-0 at halftime, and all their players returned for the restart, but Tunisia was missing midfielder Ellyes Skhiri.
Referee Alerted to Missing Player
As the countdown to resume play began, Tunisia's players quickly alerted referee Katia Garcia that they were still awaiting Skhiri. Garcia, preparing to blow her whistle, stopped the restart. Skhiri eventually emerged, but the delay had already occurred, and play had to be halted.
Dutch manager Ronald Koeman was furious on the touchline, expressing his anger to fourth official Juan Gabriel Benítez and the Tunisia bench. BBC commentator Steve Wilson noted: "We have to pause, Tunisia are a man light, so the countdown was a bit early. And the Tunisia player at the back was desperately trying to draw the referee's attention to the fact they only had 10 players out there. In fact, they still only have 10 players out there, they are one short."
Co-Commentator's Reaction
Co-commentator Stephen Warnock responded: "How?!" Wilson replied: "I don't know." Warnock, a former Liverpool defender, continued: "It's incredible. You know that the clock is going down and you've got to be out quicker. Ronald Koeman is furious and rightly so, he's saying, 'How is this happening? It's unacceptable.'"
Wilson added as Skhiri finally arrived: "They only have 10 players out there. Here he is, Skhiri. Better late than never."
Match Summary
The Netherlands opened the scoring when Skhiri deflected the ball into his own goal, and Brian Brobbey extended the lead after just seven minutes. Hazem Mastouri pulled one back for Tunisia nine minutes into the second half, but Jan Paul van Hecke restored the two-goal cushion eight minutes later. The 3-1 victory secured the Netherlands' position as Group F champions with seven points, having scored 10 goals in three group matches, including a 5-1 win over Sweden. They will face Morocco, who finished second in Group C, in the round of 32 on Tuesday.
