THE NETHERLANDS will face the United States in the final of the Women’s World Cup, following a dramatic late goal against Sweden after extra time in their semifinal match Wednesday.

Jackie Groenen finally delivered a goal with a low shot from outside the box in the 99th minute to send the European champions to the final in just their second World Cup appearance.

As expected, the Dutch were eager to trade on their technique and wide play. But the veteran Swedes were predictably physical and organized, largely negating all the things that make the Dutch good while taking a cautious approach of their own.

It was a slow and largely uneventful game, marked mostly by the things that didn’t happen. That’s largely because both goalkeepers had strong games.

It took almost 100 minutes for one of the goals to finally be breached. Groenen ran through an alley in the Swedish defense and ripped her shot past Lindahl at last.

The victory, however narrow, flattered the Dutch a little. Because they got very little going on the night and the Swedes were the stronger team in the second half. But just like the quarterfinal against Japan, the Netherlands survived what looked an awful lot like a defensive collapse late in the game, and then somehow scoring against the run of play.

More than a fifth of the Dutch population watched the quarterfinal against Japan.

The value of advertising airtime during halftime of the Dutch women’s games has outpaced that of the men’s recent big games. (SD-Agencies)