Netherlands left it late to seal a slender 2-1 victory over Wales in the UEFA Nations League on Wednesday night. Michael Bell provides his player ratings for the Netherlands players.
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Mark Flekken 5.5/10: Jasper Cillessen put in a great performance on Friday and now Flekken was looking to impress. However, the goalkeeper was less commanding than Cillessen. He made a decent save in the first half but was beaten in the second.
Hans Hateboer 5/10: Made a couple of good sliding tackles in the first half to recover but was then outjumped in the final minute for the Wales equaliser. A drop off in quality from Denzel Dumfries. Didn’t contribute much to the attack.
Tyrell Malacia 7/10: A strong performance from the left-back in a poor game and he provided the assist for Weghorst in the last minute. Defensively strong throughout the game.
Stefan de Vrij 6.5/10: The captain on the night, De Vrij got a lot of the ball and tried to command the back five. He did a good job overall but not as strong in the build-up than Van Dijk.
Matthijs de Ligt 6/10: Unchallenged defensively from the left centre-back position and tried to get forward at every opportunity. However, had to cut back onto his right foot at times which killed attacks. Still an excellent defender but jury out on whether he suits playing on the left.
Jordan Teze 5/10: Made his debut but was booked after only three minutes. Looked shaky at times and gave the ball away with some poor passes. Improved as the game went on though.
Jerdy Schouten 7/10: A very promising debut from the midfielder, who was tidy in possession and provided the assist for the Koopmeiners goal. Broke up some Wales attacks with clever positional play before he was substituted. Showed he can definitely handle the Oranje level.
Teun Koopmeiners 6.5/10: Broke the deadlock with a lovely finish. However, didn’t provide the same midfield impetus that Frenkie does. Looked for possession but didn’t have the cutting edge.
Noa Lang 6/10: Was the brightest of the Netherlands starting attackers in terms of movement. The gaps were small so he had to wonder to pick up the ball. Didn’t really threaten the Wales defence but nearly netted a lovely chip/cross in the second half.
Cody Gakpo 5.5/10: Almost scored just before the break with a deflected strike but Gakpo struggled to get into the game before being substituted. He made a lot of runs in behind but wasn’t picked out by his teammates.
Wout Weghorst 6.5/10: Didn’t have many chances and couldn’t hold up the ball but in the 94th minute he netted a stunning winner. An excellent header that flew into the top corner.
Substitutes
Frenkie de Jong 6.5/10: What an excellent run from midfield for the winning goal, De Jong showed why he is so crucial to the Oranje midfield.
Steven Bergwijn 6/10: Provided some pace to the Oranje attack after coming on. He almost got in behind for a third but the ball got stuck behind his feet.
Bruno Martins Indi N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
Guus Til N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
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Hans Hateboer – very clumsy as always, hope this is his last game in first 11.
Jerdy Schouten, Teun Koopmeiners – Teun scored and good for him but 99,9% of the time him and Jerdy completely useless, scared to take the ball and when they had it their only option was to pass it to the back. What’s a purpose to even demand the ball from defenders only to give it back right away? It’s completely useless, never understand players like this. Don’t play in the middle if you are scared to play forward from time to time. Thank God we have de Jong.
Noa Lang – thinks he is new Ronaldo, in reality right now he is poors man Ryan Babel at best.
It’s good to see those usually sitting on the bench started as first eleven this game. Cannot blame them too much even if it were a draw.
Weghorst’s header made me recall Van Persie and Huntelaar.
Even if the performance of some players isn’t so good, it is a good thing to give them a chance and I think they did their best.