After hammering Georgia 6-0 last week, Netherlands U21’s crashed back to earth as they fell 3-0 to Austria in Deventer.
- By Michael Bell
- Follow Michael on Twitter
Coach Albert Stuivenberg named a strong line-up for the friendly, with Luc Castaignos fresh from his confidence boosting hat-trick on Thursday.
Dutch line-up- Hahn, Brenet, Van der Hoorn, Denswil, Ake, Maher, Vilhena, Ebecilio, Promes, Boetius, Castaignos
From the start, Netherlands dominated possession, but the Austrian side created more chances on the counter, and deservedly took the lead on 23 minutes. The goal was a spectacular lob from the centre circle from Austria Wien midfielder Robert Zulj which caught Hahn off his line. Watch it here
Before the break it was 2-0 to the visitors, with Michael Gregoritsch in seemingly an offside position staying calm to beat Hahn one on one.
Austria also hit the post, while the home side’s best chances were a ruled out Boetius goal, and Luc Castaignos firing wide when well placed.
The second half saw Stuivenberg make a number of changes, but the Austrian side were still on top, with substitute keeper Mickey van der Hart saving well from Peter Tschernegg on his debut.
Austria crowned the win before the end, with Gregoritsch heading in his second, and his side’s third, as the young Dutch team was totally outplayed.
A disappointing defeat for Netherlands, and considering the strength of the team which started, one that should not have been so one-sided.
Follow
Follow @Footballoranje_ on Twitter
