Netherlands are into the UEFA Nations League final after defeating England 3-1 after extra-time on Thursday night. Michael Bell rates the Oranje stars performances during the victory.
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Jasper Cillessen 7/10: Couldn’t do anything about the penalty but other than that the goalkeeper had a solid night. Remained alert to save Sancho’s point blank header early in the second half. Looked to get Netherlands on the counter quickly too and was calm in possession.
Denzel Dumfries 6.5/10: Was eager to get forward and snapped into tackles. Didn’t make a huge impact though and was wayward with his crosses and final ball.
Daley Blind 7/10: Another very tidy performance at left-back from the Ajax man which showed why he is so valuable for Koeman. Didn’t get beaten for pace by Sancho, Sterling or Rashford. He also caught the eye with a sensational pass.
Virgil van Dijk 7.5/10: Imperious at the back once again for Oranje. Didn’t put a foot wrong throughout and was dominant despite being roundly booed by the English fans whenever he touched the ball.
Matthijs de Ligt 7/10: His big error put England into the lead but he made up for it after the break. Scored the equaliser and was excellent up against Harry Kane. Showed maturity to recover from his error.
Frenkie de Jong 8.5/10: Was named the official man of the match and was easily the best player on the pitch. Dictated play from the midfield and barely put a pass wrong throughout. A sensational player! England couldn’t get near him.
Marten de Roon 5.5/10: Didn’t validate Koeman’s decision to start him over Van de Beek. Made a few tackles in the first half but in possession he couldn’t make an impact. The game largely passed him by before he went off in the second half.
Georginio Wijnaldum 7/10: No signs of tiredness from the midfielder who played the full match and made an impression going forward, and at the back in the latter stages. His versatility in the midfield is a great bonus for Koeman.
Ryan Babel 5.5/10: A largely forgettable performance from Babel who struggled to get into the game in the first half before being replaced by Promes, who made a much bigger impact.
Steven Bergwijn 7.5/10: The PSV star had a strong game against England and caused their defence plenty of problems. Got into some great positions but his final pass or shot was a little bit lacking. Went off at the start of extra-time but this was a very encouraging performance from the winger.
Memphis Depay 6.5/10: Had a difficult time in front of goal but his relentless pressing is what got Netherlands the victory. He seized on the England errors in extra-time and unselfishly set up Promes to seal the victory. Snatched at a few chances but he was once again a thorn in the opponents side.
Substitutes
Donny van de Beek 7/10: First competitive Oranje appearance off the bench for van de Beek who added something to the Dutch attack. Some clever touches and passes created chances, while he almost scored with a strike that went over. Will be much more to come from the Ajax man in the near future.
Quincy Promes 7.5/10: Came off the bench in the second half and played a crucial role. Was lucky to see his shot rebound in off Kyle Walker to make it 2-1 but calmly slotted in the third late in extra-time. Proved he should start the final ahead of Ryan Babel.
Davy Propper 6/10: Entered the field in extra-time and helped Netherlands wrestle back control of the midfield. Tidy and efficient performance from the Brighton star.
Kevin Strootman N/A: Wasn’t on the pitch long enough for a rating
Dont agree with the ratings, dumfries had a great game, v van dijk had a good game but lindgard got away and it was an error from him fortunately it was a milimetrical offside, de ligt was fenomenal,what a player only 19 years old, that error is forgiven.Didnt like depay at all, weghorst would have been a better choice at least for this game,strootman had a very good impact for those few minutes he played
De Jong was absolutely outstanding. Today his defensive nous stood out just as much as his eye for right pass. What a gem he is, going to be a lot of fun watching him in Orange for the next decade!
Van Dijk was calm as you like, never troubled throughout.
I was actually pretty impressed by Propper. Added some stability in ET to that midfield, which during the last 15 minutes of normal time had looked ruffled since Henderson had come on.
Depay’s finishing was disappointing, but his pressing was very important (and generated opportunties). He was involved in every Dutch goal. Even on an off day he had an on day!
Watch the reply of the offside goal. It was Dumfries that nearly played Lingard onside, not Van Dijk. Had nothing to do with Van Dijks “error”, it was bad positional awareness by Dumfries.
Also, Strootman came on right when the 3-1 goal happened. Game was done and dusted at that point, doesn’t deserve any praise for playing well for 5 mins when England was deflated. Whenever he’s played when it mattered, he’s usually been subpar.
Yes he was & to think he says he doesn’t expect to play regularly his first season at Barca so modest. He is a joy to watch & based of that performance & many others he would walk right into Barca mid 3. So good on & off the ball reads the game so well is just brilliant to watch.
VVD is always like that it seems like a 16yo playing against 10yos just calm & composed. While Maguire Roma’s all over leaves Stones who makes mistakes they shouldn’t be partners both need a anchor partner solid defender who defends first or is a VVD. They shots a back 3 better & Proper is very good his teammate Dunk should be in over Maguire or Stones IMO he is solid defensively & solid passer. Duffy MOTM for Ireland topping their group upsetting Denmark which saw coming bc they give it all even tho most are Championship & below players.
Have to give Koeman credit he has really turn around the team introduced some youth brought back Babel who actually has done well at times. I do agree with some would of like to see Weghoust in squad had great season but I like Depay wouldn’t take him out. Koeman has done great even De Roon who was once wrote off has rebuilt is career club & country very important.
Come a long way can def beat Portugal I like NT & be ready for Euros too with youth getting even more experience!