A late goal by Klauss Jan Huntelaar clinched first place in Group E for the Netherlands as they defeated Cameroon 2-1 in their final round match.
Netherlands finished Group E play with a perfect 3-0 record with a goal differential of 5-1, and will meet Slovakia in the round of 16 on Monday.
Huntelaar broke the tie 83 minutes into the match when he was allowed to shoot into a wide open net after an Arjen Robben shot went off the post and straight to the feet of Huntelaar with Cameroon goaltender Souleymanou Hamidou down and out.
Robben made his World Cup debut as a substitute after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury. The star midfielder’s presence should only make the Dutch tougher heading into the elimination rounds.
Dutch striker Robin van Persie opened the scoring in the 36th minute.
Cameroon, who had already been eliminated, put in a solid effort, splitting possession time with the Netherlands.
Samuel Eto’o scored Cameroon’s lone goal, tying the score at one with at penalty kick midway through the second half. The penalty was awarded after Dutch defender Rafael Van der Vaart deflected a Cameroon free kick with his arm.
