In a Nations League tie against Poland, Memphis Depay missed an added-time penalty as the Netherlands fell short of completing a remarkable comeback.
For lengthy stretches, Louis van Gaal’s team controlled, but Matty Cash’s angled shot from 20 yards put them behind.
Just after the break, Przemyslaw Frankowski beat the Dutch offside trap to set up a tap-in for Piotr Zielinski to extend the Poles’ lead.
Watch the unbelievable goals and performance of Netherlands and Poland!!
However, before Denzel Dumfries levelled the score, Davy Klaassen nudged in for the hosts.
After looking to be in severe peril, the Dutch came within a whisker of making it three wins in a row in the Nations League when Cash was ruled to have handled late on after a VAR check.
Barcelona’s Depay, on the other hand, sliced his penalty and saw it deflected away off the right post.
Klaassen had previously ignited Ajax’s comeback by brilliantly directing in a deflected cross from teammate Daley Blind, while Inter Milan right-back Dumfries hit the right corner after being passed in by Depay.
It was no more than the hosts deserved, with Blind and Depay both missing other great chances to score.
The Netherlands wasted a chance to make it three wins in a row in UEFA Nations League Group A4 when Memphis Depay’s late penalty struck the post after his team had come back from two goals behind.
In a nutshell, the match: In a gripping thriller, the Dutch retaliate.
The Netherlands got out to a fast start,
but fell behind when Nicola Zalewski moved the play from left to right, where Matty Cash scooped up the ball, drove into the area,
and shot past Mark Flekken against the run of play.
The visitors held on for the rest of the half before shocking their hosts again when
Przemysaw Frankowski avoided the offside trap and set up Piotr Zieliski for a goal.
Davy Klaassen immediately cut the deficit with a brilliant close-range finish, but Denzel Dumfries equalised three minutes later with a deflected attempt.
However, there was late drama when ukasz Skorupski denied Depay from close range,
and Cash was ruled to have handled the rebound.
Depay, on the other hand,
struck the post from the spot before the keeper produced another amazing late save to deny him.
Match reporter Derek Brookman
A pleasurable encounter in front of a rapt audience.
After going two goals down shortly after the restart,
the Dutch appeared to be in severe trouble,
but Klaassen – who has so frequently been the player to score critical goals for club and country – pulled the Oranje back into contention. I believe both coaches will be satisfied with a share of the spoils,
albeit Louis van Gaal will be disappointed with his late penalty miss. Meanwhile, Poland demonstrated unequivocally that they can compete without Robert Lewandowski.
Reaction
“It’s a pretty wonderful result,” Poland defender Matty Cash told UEFA.com. A lot of teams struggle when they come here. We showed tremendous character by staying in the game and keeping the score at 2-2. When Depay missed the penalty, I breathed a sigh of relief,
but the emotion I got when I scored was incredible — one of the nicest thrills I’ve ever experienced.”
“Our ball circulation was extremely slow in the first half,” Denzel Dumfries, a Netherlands defender, told UEFA.com. They only had one shot, and it was a goal, I believe. Our team spirit in the second half, on the other hand, was incredible.”
Figures of importance
Away from home, Poland has never beaten the Netherlands (D6 L4).
In their last 25 international matches, the Netherlands have only failed to score once.
In their last 21 international matches, Poland has not failed to score.
For the tenth time in his career, Memphis Depay has missed a penalty (scored 32).
