Stuttgart, June 16 (Xinhua) The Netherlands qualified for the World Cup knockout stage after beating debutants Ivory Coast 2-1 in their second Group C match here Friday.
The Netherlands, who beat Serbia and Montenegro 1-0 Sunday, took a 2-0 lead in the 26th minute, thanks to goals from Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooij.
Striker Bakary Kone pulled one goal back for Ivory Coast with a powerful shot in the 37th minute.
Ivory Cast threatened quite a lot after the interval, but just could not crack the Netherlands defence.
Van Persie opened the scoring with a powerful, curling free kick in the 22nd minute to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, van Nistelrooij made it 2-0 scoring from an unmarked position.