What’s in a cleat? Switch pays off for the Netherlands in Women’s World Cup win.
Shanice van de Sanden was sliding and slipping all over the pitch in Valenciennes, France for the Netherlands in 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup match.
Then an injury check on a Cameroon player led to Van de Sanden switching her cleats in the first half.
There was no sliding or slipping as she zipped past Cameroon’s defense during a pivotal play that led to the Netherlands’ first goal of a 3-1 victory in Group E.
Teammate Vivianne Miedema, who scored the first goal in the 41st minute, added a second to give her 60 career goals in a Dutch shirt.
Consequently, the Netherlands earned automatic qualification for the Round of 16 with the win. The Dutch sit atop the group with six points, and end group play against Canada on Thursday.
This story was originally published June 15, 2019 at 11:19 AM with the headline "What’s in a cleat? Switch pays off for the Netherlands in Women’s World Cup win.."
