Daphne van Domselaar stands tall as Netherlands advance to Women's World Cup last eight

Goalkeeper makes number of key saves during 2-0 win over South Africa

Netherlands' goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar makes a save during the Women's World Cup round of 16 match against South Africa in Sydney. AP

Netherlands manager Andries Jonker lauded the performance of Daphne van Domselaar after the goalkeeper made a number of saves on Sunday to keep South Africa at bay and help her team progress to the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup.

The 23-year-old Aston Villa goalkeeper was named the player of the match as the Dutch registered a 2-0 win over the African champions at Sydney Football Stadium and set up a last eight clash with Spain in Wellington on Friday.

"If you compare her with other keepers, I think she's developed a lot," Jonker said of Van Domselaar.

"Four years ago, there were goalkeepers that could not deal with the ball just under the bar and now we've got a whole generation of very athletic goalkeepers, who don't let in that kind of ball.

"Daphne is one of that new generation. They're athletic, they're in good shape, they've got good positioning, so the developments in that area are incredible and the Netherlands are right along there."

Jonker's side took the lead in the ninth minute when Jill Roord headed in from close range and Lineth Beerensteyn sealed the win in the 68th minute when her shot squirmed through the arms of South Africa goalkeeper Kaylin Swart.

South Africa will be kicking themselves after having numerous chances in the opening 45 minutes, almost all to livewire captain Thembi Kgatlana.

On six minutes the striker fired straight at Van Domselaar - it was to become a theme. On 12 minutes she sprinted away from the Dutch defence and fizzed her effort just over the bar.

Kgatlana rattled the opposition once more soon after with a mazy run and shot that stung the palms of Van Domselaar. But she had nothing to show for her efforts.

The gloss was taken off the Dutch victory, however, when Danielle van de Donk received her second booking of the tournament to rule her out of the meeting with Spain.

Meanwhile, Keira Walsh gave England a potential boost ahead of their round of 16 clash with Nigeria when the midfielder was able to train with the team on Sunday, one day before their elimination match.

Walsh suffered a knee injury in England’s 1-0 win against Denmark in the Lionesses’ second game of the group stage. Scans showed she did not damage her ACL, but it wasn't clear if Walsh would be able to play again this tournament.

Walsh, who plays for Barcelona, participated in individual training to return to playing form and finally joined her teammates in Sunday's practice.

England did not reveal if Walsh, the highest-paid player in women's football, will play against Nigeria.

Walsh joined Barcelona from Manchester City last year for a reported record fee of $513,000, a record for women's game.

Despite fears England would not be able to replace Walsh, the Lionesses produced their best performance of the tournament in their final group game by beating China 6-1.