Robin Roefs' 50% save rate fuels Dutch penalty hopes for 2026

With the World Cup knockout stage now underway, the Netherlands national team in Kansas City intensifies its penalty practice. Goalkeeper Robin Roefs, the third-choice keeper, has saved four of eight spot‑kick attempts on the professional level – a 50 percent success rate. Keeper coach Patrick Lodewijks works daily with the three goalkeepers, while head coach Ronald Koeman monitors the trio’s progress. The sessions take place on the training grounds of the Dutch side in Kansas City. Roefs’ record stands out with a 50 percent save rate, four saves from eight attempts. By contrast, first‑choice Bart Verbruggen stopped seven of 54 shots (13 percent) and Mark Flekken’s success rate sits at six percent. A similar situation unfolded in the 2014 World Cup quarter‑final, when Louis van Gaal replaced Jasper Cillessen with Tim Krul just before the penalty shoot‑out, and Krul saved two spot‑kicks. Andere Tijden Sport later produced an episode recounting that episode.

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Opta data shows that Quinten Timber, who trained separately on Friday after a mild concussion, has converted three of three penalties, matching Denzel Dumfries’ perfect record. Cody Gakpo leads the squad with twelve successful kicks from thirteen attempts, while Memphis Depay scores in 75 percent of his 52 tries. Brian Brobbey, already credited with three goals in this World Cup, has missed five of nine penalties, scoring only four. PSV midfielder Guus Til has failed to convert both spot‑kicks he has taken.

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"Natuurlijk is het een groot project," goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen said at the start of the World Cup preparation in early June in Zeist. "Het gebeurt vaak dat een eindtoernooi daarop wordt beslist," he added, emphasizing the stakes. The Dutch side practices penalty kicks behind closed doors, aiming to replicate the intense pressure of a World Cup shoot‑out. Although Ronald Koeman, a former penalty taker himself, is less vocal than his predecessor Louis van Gaal, the team treats the exercise with utmost seriousness.