The Netherlands cruised to a 2-0 victory against Poland, being in control of the match from start to finish despite seeing two players forced off injured.
Such injuries were a blessing in disguise in a way, with those that came on as substitutes being Oranje’s stand-out performers on the night.
Here’s how we think every player did…
Remko Pasveer, 6 – Had very little to do on his debut but made two good saves and was really good with the ball at his feet.
Jurrien Timber, 6 – Didn’t have much to do either but didn’t make any mistakes.
Virgil van Dijk, 7 – Kept Robert Lewandowksi quiet and made some really good interventions at the back. This formation suits him perfectly.
Nathan Ake, 6 – Looked very steady defensively and on the ball.
Denzel Dumfries, 7 – As always seems the be the case these days, the Inter man was one of the Netherlands’ biggest attacking threats, getting a great assist, and worked tirelessly off the ball.
Teun Koopmeiners, N/A – Had to be subbed off at the start after picking up a head injury. Hopefully he gets a chance to show what he can do against Belgium.
Frenkie de Jong, 6 – Wasn’t spectacular in the half he played, but made a few nice runs and didn’t do anything wrong.
Daley Blind, 7 – Was caught out of position a few times, but was also one of the best players in possession, as he always is. He’s simply too good in that aspect to be dropped.
Cody Gakpo, 7 – Was given a chance as a number 10 and took it well, scoring a goal with a clean finish after some nice movement. An interesting option for Van Gaal in that position going forward.
Steven Bergwijn, 6 – Didn’t play well for most of the match but made up for that with a good goal. Needs to perform better if he wants to keep Vincent Janssen out of the team though.
Memphis Depay, 6 – Effectively created the first goal with a great pass, but didn’t do much after that before going off injured.
Substitutes
Steven Berghuis, 8 – Came on at the start for Koopmeiner and was absolutely fantastic, starting multiple attacks and creating a number of chances with his passing. The Man of the Match.
Marten de Roon, 6 – A solid performance, but a very unspectacular one. A good option to bring on when protecting a lead, but not when needing a goal.
Vincent Janssen, 7 – Made a real impact after coming on, getting a good assist and bringing team-mates into play a lot. His resurgence continues.
Wout Weghorst, N/A
Kenneth Taylor, N/A
Finley Crebolder
