Football 5g2n52

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Sushan Chakraborty
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Sushan Chakraborty Sports Editor

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Published21 Mar 2025

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UEFA Nations League holders Spain held the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their quarter-finals meeting at De Kuip on Thursday night, 20 March. 

Spain will host the Netherlands at the Mestalla for the all-important return leg on Sunday, 23 March.

Netherlands 2-2 Spain: Match Summary 5n3210

Luis de la Fuente fielded his strongest XI in Rotterdam, with Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal leading the attack and Pedri running the show in midfield. The La Liga cocktail hit the spot just nine minutes in, firing La Roja into the lead. Barcelona wunderkind won the ball from Dutch left-back Jorrel Hato before squaring it to Pedri. The Barca lynchpin fed the ball to Williams, who controlled it with his right foot before turning and finishing smartly with his left.

Spain captain Alvaro Morata had an excellent opportunity to double the visitors’ lead in the 19th minute, as Marc Cucurella’s cross found him inside the box. His header, however, was below par and drifted wide of the mark.

Having been under the cosh for much of the first 30 minutes, the hosts equalized pretty much against the run of play in the 28th minute. Latching on to a botched clearance, Hato headed the ball to Justin Kluivert just outside the box. The Bournemouth man found Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, who applied a thumping finish to level the score.

A minute into the second half, Jeremie Frimpong cut the ball back for Tijjani Reijnders. The Milan midfielder dispatched a fine first-time effort to find the bottom-left corner.

The Oranje, who lost Hato to a red card in the 81st minute, were 2-1 up heading into injury time, but they crumbled in the dying embers. Williams, the goalscorer, dispatched an angled strike towards the Dutch goal. Bart Verbruggen parried it, but it went straight to substitute Mikel Merino, who tapped it in from close range. The Arsenal man’s late, late strike extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 22 games across competitions.

With the summary out of the way, let’s check out the Netherlands vs Spain player ratings in full.

Netherlands vs Spain Player Ratings 5b26l

Netherlands Player Ratings 1q64g

Bart Verbruggen (6.5/10): 5w4e2b

The Brighton goalkeeper made five saves throughout the game, but his wayward injury-time parry proved costly.

Lutsharel Geertruida (6/10): 29551o

The RB Leipzig right-back had a game to forget. Did not create any chances and lost all three of his ground duels. Needs to do a lot better in the second leg.

Jan Paul van Hecke (7/10): c481h

The Brighton centre-back held his own inside the box. He won both his tackles, made 13 clearances, won five of six duels, and also delivered two accurate crosses.

Virgil van Dijk (6/10): 6s3e4b

Captain Virgil van Dijk was well below his brilliant best in the Nations League quarter-final. He misplaced seven es, lost three of four ground duels, and committed three fouls, picking up a yellow card.

Jorrel Hato (4.5/10): y1i1u

The Ajax left-back’s carelessness allowed Lamine Yamal to steal the ball leading up to Spain’s opener. He also saw a straight red following a reckless studs-up challenge on Robin Le Normand in the 81st minute. Poor.

Tijjani Reijnders (7.5/10): 3q5534

The AC Milan defensive midfielder was at the top of his game on Thursday. He scored a fine goal, played eight es into the final third, and made five recoveries.

Frenkie de Jong (7/10): 1v5v4j

The metronome, Frenkie de Jong, completed 56 es against Spain with 90% accuracy. He also delivered two accurate long balls, made five recoveries, and slipped nine es into the final third.

Jeremie Frimpong (8/10): 5k5j6r

One of the most exciting players to watch in football, Jeremie Frimpong tormented Marc Cucurella all night long. He created a game-high four chances, pulled off four dribbles, and won 10 duels.

Justin Kluivert (7/10): 5bq6o

It was not the attacking midfielder’s best performance, but he made himself useful. Provided an assist, won three duels, and made two recoveries.

Cody Gakpo (7.5/10): 69483g

The Liverpool forward only had 40 touches in the game, but he was quite a handful when he got on the ball. Scored a fine goal, created a chance, and completed three dribbles.

Memphis Depay (6.5/10): 2f4d50

The Corinthians striker created three chances, but he could not put pressure on the centre-backs.

Substitutes 4n44i

Teun Koopmeiners (74′) (6/10): Made two blocks and intercepted the ball once.

Xavi Simons (74′) (5.5/10): Completed just two es and lost three duels.

Matthijs de Ligt (84′) & Mats Wieffer (90′): No impact.

Spain Player Ratings 3h1c5z

Unai Simon (6/10): 4w5f2b

The Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper made two saves and conceded twice, with both goals coming at his near post.

Pedro Porro (6/10): 656u60

The Tottenham Hotspur right-back won five duels and made three good recoveries but he should have done a lot better going forward.

Robin Le Normand (7/10): 4q2u3g

Robin Le Normand completed 84 es against the Netherlands — the most in the game. Won five ground duels and cleared the ball five times.

Pau Cubarsi (6/10): 5l1t2k

The Barcelona teenager started well but had to come off in the 41st minute after hurting his ankle.

Marc Cucurella (6.5/10): 146p5h

The Chelsea left-back was a livewire going forward, creating two chances. However, he was poor at the back, getting dribbled past four times — including in the build-up of the Netherlands’ equaliser — and losing eight of 12 duels.

Pedri (7/10): 3q5w1l

Pedri delivered a neat performance on Thursday. He completed 40 es with 93% accuracy, claimed an assist, and won a couple of duels.

Martin Zubimendi (7.5/10): d1g3w

Dictated Spain’s tempo in the middle. Completed 51 es with 86% accuracy, played 11 es into the final third, made a whopping five interceptions, and won four duels.

Fabian Ruiz (6.5/10): 20p6e

Fabian Ruiz was quiet by his usual standards. He created just one chance, lost both his tackles, and was dribbled past three times.

Lamine Yamal (7/10): 2d1h1d

It was Lamine Yamal’s hunger that created Spain’s opening goal. He also helped out at the back, making five recoveries and winning three of four ground duels.

Alvaro Morata (6/10): 6c6e2d

The captain only had one shot on Thursday, which disappointed veered off target. He also lost three of five duels and lost possession once.

Nico Williams (8/10): 573567

Nico Williams was a dynamite against the Netherlands. He showed immense composure to open his scoring in the ninth minute. The 22-year-old was also integral to Spain’s late equalizer, as he forced Bart Verbruggen to make an awkward save.

Substitutes 4n44i

Dean Huijsen (41′) (7/10): Coming on for Pau Cubarsi, 19-year-old Dean Huijsen delivered a fine performance. He completed 53 es with 90% accuracy, made two clearances, and won three of four duels.

Dani Olmo (66′) (6.5/10): Olmo had a decent outing on Thursday. He created a couple of chances, had two shots, and completed 21 of 22 es.

Ayoze Perez (66′) (6/10): Alvaro Morata’s replacement, Ayoze Perez was also ineffective in front of goal. He had two shots, both blocked. Lost three of four duels.

Mikel Oyarzabal (66′) (6/10): The Real Sociedad man held the ball well but could not mount pressure on the Dutch side.

Mikel Merino (84′) (7/10): He did not get enough time to show his full range, but he popped up with the goods when it mattered the most, scoring the injury-time equalizer.