KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands opened the game to cheers Saturday. Dutch people who passed Sweden In Houston.
Both Monarchs finished the day in Kansas City watching Curacao make history against Ecuador.
The small island nation of Curaçao is a member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima as its heads of state. So, after a quick flight north on Saturday, the royal couple dutifully swapped out the bright orange scarves from Het Oranje Legioen they had worn to previous matches for bright blue scarves from Blue Wave.
Curacao, the World Cup’s smallest team in terms of population and size, made its tournament debut last Sunday. We lost to Germany 7-1. But I bounced back from that defeat. 0-0 draw with La Tri He earned his first points of the tournament.
“This is a special World Cup because we have both the Netherlands and Curaçao,” Willem-Alexander told RTL-TV. “So we now have twice as many teams to root for. It’s a great opportunity to support both the Blues and Oranges. All in all, this World Cup will be special for me with both teams participating and of course I hope they do well.”
The Netherlands defeated Sweden 5-1, moving one step closer to advancing to the final tournament.
Brian Brobbey and Kodi Gakpo each scored twice to help Ronald Koeman’s side bounce back. disappointing draw The Netherlands wrapped up group play against Tunisia in Kansas City on Thursday.
Curaçao is still alive after Eloy Room made 15 saves, one shy of a World Cup record, in a draw with Ecuador. They play Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on Thursday, and Group E play concludes at the same time as Ecuador takes on Germany in New York.
Curacao midfielder Tahith Chong said it was “amazing” to celebrate with the royal family in the locker room. “We knew before the game that they were going to come to the game and it was great to have them in a game where we got our first points ever.”
It is unusual for a sitting monarch to pass through the Kansas City area. In the 1920s, Queen Anne of Romania attended the dedication of the Liberty Monument, where Kansas City hosted the World Cup Fanfest, while King Gustav XVI of Sweden stopped in the small Kansas town of Lindsborg on his way through the Midwest in the 1970s.
Then again, the region has never hosted a sporting event as big as the World Cup.
Also, no country as small as Curacao has ever scored points in this tournament.
“Seeing how the King and his wife and daughter have integrated into our group gives me a lot of respect,” said Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat, 78, who was born and raised in the Netherlands. “They smile and dance and nothing is too much for them. You can see them beaming with joy. It was wonderful to see the royal family like this.”
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
