Real Madrid World Cup Spotlight: Denzel Dumfries shines for the Netherlands

Real Madrid players have been in excellent form at this World Cup, consistently contributing to their nations’ causes at the tournament.

The latest standout performance came from summer arrival Denzel Dumfries, whose signing has not yet been officially announced, for the Netherlands against Sweden in the Oranje’s 5-1 win.

Central defender Antonio Rudiger also had a crucial role to play for Germany in their comeback 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.

Real Madrid did not have any players feature in either the Ecuador-Curaçao game or the Japan-Tunisia game.

Both games added to the World Cup drama, though, with Curaçao’s keeper keeping out as many as 15 shots on target.

Let us see how the two Los Blancos stars fared for their respective nations last night.

Denzel Dumfries vs Sweden

Dumfries was a star on the night. He produced two assists in a dominant display as the Netherlands put five past Sweden.

He gave the Dutch team the kind of attacking width and crossing threat that made him such an exciting profile for Los Blancos.

Dumfries finished with 0.42 expected assists, completed 28 of his 34 passes, made eight defensive actions, won most of his duels, added three tackles and produced four headed clearances.

Dumfries was not just an attacking outlet. He gave the Netherlands thrust going forward while still doing the defensive work behind the ball.

Jose Mourinho would have loved such a performance from his new signing. This is exactly what he will be hoping Dumfries can give his team next season.

Antonio Rudiger vs Ivory Coast

Rudiger was solid after coming on. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Rudiger’s outing was quieter, but still valuable. The Real Madrid centre-back started on the bench for Germany before coming on in the second half after a possible injury to Nico Schlotterbeck.

He stayed solid after coming on, ensured Germany did not concede another goal and watched most of the drama unfold up top through Deniz Undav.

If Schlotterbeck is confirmed to be ruled out of the tournament, Rudiger’s importance for Germany will increase manifold.

He looks set to start the rest of the games for Julian Nagelsmann’s team, and Real Madrid will hope that he can continue to impress with his performances.