After three defeats in the group stage due to their subpar play, Qatar became the first host nation to be eliminated from the competition, finishing last and earning no points.

 n-form Cody Gakpo scored once again as the Netherlands won Group A, putting an end to Qatar's wretched World Cup run with a third straight loss.

Due to their poor performance, Qatar became the first host nation to leave the competition after three group-stage losses, placing last and receiving 0 points.

The Netherlands, who was not selected four years ago, advance to the round of 16 with an undefeated record and will next face the United States.

Senegal, the reigning African champion, defeated Ecuador to secure second place and now faces England.

Gakpo, a winger for PSV Eindhoven, has now opened the scoring in each of the Netherlands' three group games. On this occasion, he advanced and rasped a finish into the bottom corner.

Ismaeel Mohammad's shot on the stretch from outside the area was directed at Andries Noppert as Qatar attempted to respond right away.

Frenkie de Jong scored for Louis van Gaal's team at the opening of the second half to end Qatar's hopes of a comeback after Memphis Depay's attempt was saved.

Given that Steven Berghuis had a goal disallowed and also hit the crossbar, the Dutch may have won by a larger margin.

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Gakpo progressing

Four years ago, the Netherlands, three-time finalists, watched from home, but now they're making up for the lost time by reminding people of their strengths.

The Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, who serves as their captain, the pass-master De Jong in the center of the pitch, and the cool-headed finisher Gakpo up top make up their side's powerful core.

The 23-year-old PSV player's reputation also got a boost when he completed a team move following Davy Klaassen's absence to become the first Dutch player to score in each of his first three World Cup matches.

Gakpo has been strongly linked to a move to Manchester United, and his price tag will undoubtedly rise with every noteworthy display on the international scene.

He has now contributed to 35 goals in 29 games for club and country, scoring 17 goals and dishing out 18 assists. He is having an outstanding season.

De Jong, who himself may have moved to Old Trafford last summer, shattered all expectations by tucking in his first World Cup goal in 49 minutes, as a handful of raucous Qatar fans tried to stir their squad in the second half.

Berghuis had a goal disallowed for handball by Gakpo in the build-up, and the substitute's curling effort hit the bar on a relatively comfortable evening for the Dutch, but things could have been worse for the hosts.

As Pedro Miguel volleyed over from a corner and Qatar's skipper Hassan Al-Haydos' long-range shot was handled by Noppert, the hosts actually had the better opening.

Qatar suffered three straight losses in their first World Cup and allowed seven goals in total, the most by a host nation in the group stages.

Qatar can put this miserable campaign behind them and look forward to trying to qualify on their own in four years because there will be 48 teams instead of 32 at the next finals in 2026.