With their World Cup dreams dashed following consecutive four-goal defeats, Tunisia appeared to thrive under minimal pressure early in the match. Hazem Mastouri found space on the left, but his low cross was sent over the bar by Ismaël Gharbi just over a minute into the game. However, the familiar sting of conceding quickly returned for the North Africans. Donyell Malen delivered the ball to Denzel Dumfries, whose low cross from the right was inadvertently turned into his own net by Ellyes Skhiri just moments later.

Before the seven-minute mark, the score escalated to 2-0. Tijjani Reijnders’ expertly floated free-kick was met by Virgil van Dijk, who nodded it across the goal for Brian Brobbey to powerfully strike in his third goal of the finals.

Despite leaking goals, Tunisia continued to threaten on the attack, and they could have pulled one back had Anis Ben Slimane not directed his header straight at Bart Verbruggen. Reijnders, after being played in by Dumfries, saw his shot from a tight angle sail wide, allowing the Eagles of Carthage to reach the first-half hydration break still only two goals down. However, after the break, the Dutch side relentlessly peppered their goal with chances, with deflections thwarting shots from both Dumfries and Ryan Gravenberch.

Aymen Dahmen, Tunisia's goalkeeper, showcased his skills by closing down Cody Gakpo and holding on to a late strike from Dumfries, preserving the Oranje's two-goal lead at halftime.

The second half commenced with a slight delay due to Skhiri's late return to the pitch. However, just eight minutes in, he made a stunning block to deny Dumfries a certain goal, which seemed to ignite Tunisia's spirits. They pulled one back just two minutes later when Mastouri found space to head home a corner taken by Hannibal Mejbri.

Yet, any hopes of a comeback were dashed shortly after the hour mark. A corner from Reijnders was flicked on at the near post by Jan Paul van Hecke, marking his first international goal. Moments later, Reijnders, almost turning from provider to scorer, lofted the ball over Dahmen only to see it crash off the underside of the bar.

In a bid to avoid a fifth consecutive loss, Tunisia pressed on in the final 20 minutes, forcing Verbruggen to tip over a well-placed attempt from Hannibal. The three-time finalists managed to accumulate more touches in the opposition box towards the end, but neither Van Dijk nor Memphis Depay could convert their opportunities to add to the tally.

Nonetheless, this victory means the Netherlands remains unbeaten against African teams in World Cup history, a promising sign as they prepare to face Morocco in the Round of 32. Tunisia, on the other hand, at least avoided the ignominy of becoming the first team to lose all three group stage matches by four or more goals.

Man of the Match: Jan Paul van Hecke (Netherlands)