Before this international match, there was still a small chance for the Orange to reach pot 1 for the World Cup draw in Qatar on Friday, thereby avoiding strong countries such as Brazil, Spain, Belgium and France. For that, the Dutch national team should have won both practice matches in this international period and Portugal had to miss the World Cup. Both conditions were not met, so that the Netherlands is in pot 2 in the draw on Friday.
After a musical warm-up by Willeke Alberti and rapper Diggy Dex, the audience in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, which was better filled than against Denmark, settled down. The Netherlands-Germany is one of the classics in national football and in recent years they have invariably accounted for many goals. Eighteen goals have been scored in the four previous editions.
The Netherlands pulled the longest straw twice. In the Nations League it became 3-0 in Amsterdam in 2018 and 4-2 in the European Championship qualification in Hamburg. Previously, Germany was 3-2 too strong in Amsterdam in the same European Championship qualification, while a Nations League match in Gelsenkirchen in 2018 ended in 2-2.
National coach Louis van Gaal had changed the team that was 4-2 too strong for Denmark on Saturday in two positions. Steven Bergwijn and Nathan Ake, responsible for three of the four goals against the Danes, started on the bench this time. As a result, Donyell Malen partnered with Memphis Depay in the front and Tyrell Malacia in the left wingback position, moving Daley Blind from that spot to the three-man defence.
Grind next to Memphis
,,Firstly, he cannot play 90 minutes twice. And I would like to see Donyell Malen next to Memphis”, explained Van Gaal the place on the bench of Bergwijn, who had scored three times in the last two international matches.
Bergwijn has been only sparsely in action at his club Tottenham Hotspur lately and that also applies to Aké at Manchester City. ,,In this system it is physically heavier, so I also have to take that into account,” said the national coach. “Malacia is a biter and can come up well on the left wing, so I would like to see him in action longer in that position.”
Both teams were evenly matched in the first half, with the Netherlands creating the first goal danger. On a pass from Depay, Teun Koopmeiners, who had again been preferred over Georginio Wijnaldum, was able to head in freely, but he placed the ball in the hands of German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Joy at Müller after the 0-1.
Ⓒ ANP/HH
Compared to the friendly match against Israel, he had returned to the base with the team of national coach Hansi Flick, as well as center defender Antonio Rüdiger, veteran Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané.
The latter, fully blossomed under Nagelsmann at Bayer and also performing well under Flick at the German team, got the first chance for the Germans. Goalkeeper Mark Fleks, playing against his teammate Nico Schlotterbeck, who appeared at the kick-off after his debut against Israel, did not have to take action, because the ball went into the side net.
Dangerous Backs
It looked nice in phases what the Orange showed, but there were also moments when the implementation of the 1-3-4-1-2 system introduced by Van Gaal looked uncomfortable. It was striking how dangerous Germany always came through with the backs, while the Dutch wingbacks only barely succeeded. Denzel Dumfries, often as menacing as an up-and-coming full-back, just as against Denmark showed a dull appearance.
The most dangerous man at Orange was Borussia Dortmund player Malen, but the ex-PSV player couldn’t get the ball between the posts. The most dangerous moment was when he was sent off by Depay and went for the German goal alone, but, hindered by Rüdiger, he was unable to get the ball on goal.
In the course of the first half, the German team got the upper hand and just before half time things went wrong for the Orange. Timo Werner stabbed Jamal Musiala with a clever ball. The growth brilliance of German football managed to get the ball right, where the ball could still be cleared for the incoming Kai Havertz. But the rebound was a prey for routine Müller, who shot hard. His 43rd goal in 111 international matches for ‘Die Mannschaft’.
Van Gaal brought in reserve captain Georginio Wijnaldum for the second half. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder came in for Koopmeiners, who had not left a strong impression in the first half.
The Netherlands resumed the game just as weak defensively as in the last phase before halftime. It was completely open in the back for German left back David Raum, who was given seas of space, but then shot wide.
Goldcrest Mountain wine
Orange had completely lost its grip after the break and mainly followed the Germans. With Bergwijn and Davy Klaassen as replacements for Malen and Steven Berghuis, Van Gaal tried to get some life back in it and it worked. Spurs attacker Bergwijn develops into the goldcrest of Orange. After a long kick by Frenkie de Jong, Dumfries brought the ball in front of the goal, where Bergwijn hit the target very hard. His fourth goal in the last three international matches.
The equalizer turned the game upside down and for a moment Memphis Depay seemed to get the chance to score his fortieth international goal from the penalty spot and thus come alongside Patrick Kluivert, but the VAR pulled referee Craig Pawson to the side and after seeing the images made it a line through the penalty kick.
In the remainder of the game, the Orange had the most claim to the victory. Van Gaal’s team played energetically again and made it very difficult for the German defense. Klaassen and De Ligt were closest to the winning goal, but the ball did not want to go in. On the other side, Flek was able to save in an outbreak of Lukas Nmecha, so that it ended in a draw for the first time in five international matches between the Netherlands and Germany.