The Netherlands progress to the semi-finals of the Nations League by beating Belgium
The Netherlands sealed their position in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League with a 1-0 victory over Belgium at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on Saturday evening. Virgil Van Dijk scored Netherland’s only goal with a header.
The Netherlands knew they only needed a draw in the Johan Cruyff arena to progress to the final four at Belgium’s expense. Louis Van Gaal made a few changes, with Davy Klaassen, Vincent Janssen, and Maarten de Roon coming into the side.
The first half was a low-key affair as both sides seemed desperate not to make any mistakes. The only significant moment of danger came when Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne found Axel Witsel with an intelligent lob over the Dutch defence. Witsel’s contact with the ball was insufficient to trouble goalkeeper Remko Pasveer.
De Bruyne was troubling the Netherlands again with his passing in the second half as another long-range pass found a teammate in front of the goal. This time it was Everton’s Amadou Onana who could not steer the ball past Pasveer.
Oranje took the lead after 73 minutes when team captain Virgil van Dijk headed home from a Cody Gakpo corner. The goal meant that Belgium needed to score two in the last twenty minutes, which made the match more open and gave the crowd an exciting ending.
The most significant chances still fell to the Netherlands; Gakpo showed his skill again by beating three Belgium defenders before releasing Davy Klaassen through on goal. Still, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved the attempt from the Ajax midfielder.
Shortly afterward, Steven Bergwijn also failed to put the game to bed for van Gaal’s men when his Ajax teammate Daley Blind found him with an early cross. All Bergwijn had to do was knock it past Courtois, but he was unsuccessful.
Dodi Lukebakio nearly scored a screamer with the last kick of the game but his overhead kick cannoned off the post.
The Netherlands are joined by Croatia in the draw for the semi-finals, with two of Portugal, Spain, Hungary, or Italy to join them. The semi-finals will be played next summer.
