WALES DEPAY AND MASHED
Last-gasp goal robs Bale & Co for second time in a week
HOLLAND sentenced Wales to late heartache for the second time in a week.
Rob Page’s men looked to have scrambled a draw in Rotterdam when talisman Gareth Bale, off the bench as a late sub, made it 2-2 from the penalty spot.
But direct from the restart the Dutch, who scored a winner against Wales in the third minute of injury time in Cardiff last week, snatched a decisive third goal through their former Manchester United misfit Memphis Depay.
Wales, enduring a nightmare Nations League campaign, looked stunned but Holland fully deserved the victory. Louis van Gaal’s men were a class apart early on as they attempted to make it 10 wins from 10 games against Wales.
With Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong impressive in midfield, the home side raced into a 2-0 lead through Noa Lang and Cody Gakpo. But Brennan Johnson scored a beauty to halve the deficit before the break in Wales’s fifth match in 14 days.
Skipper Bale then looked to have salvaged a draw from the spot, but there was still time for Depay to bury a dramatic winner.
There was a nice touch from the Dutch crowd as they applauded Wales’s qualification for the 2022 World Cup before the game.
But the hosts showed their visitors no quarter once the contest started.
Maybe it was no surprise that the Welsh wilted. This Rotterdam clash was their fifth fixture since 1 June. In that time
they have lost to Poland and Holland (twice), drawn with Belgium, and beaten Ukraine.
The one bright spot for Wales is the form of Nottingham Forest star Johnson, who has had a fabulous end to the season. The clamour for him to start at the World Cup is getting louder each game.
But don’t write off the Dutch in the World Cup. They are in a group with Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar and look like they will go far.
HOLLAND: Cillessen 7, Teze 6 (De Vrij 46, 6), De Ligt 8, Martins Indi 7, Hateboer 6 (Dumfries 46, 6), Koopmeiners 6, De Jong 8, Malacia 6, Janssen 6 (Depay 71, 6), Gakpo 7, Lang 7 (Bergwijn 72)
WALES: Hennessey 7, Mepham 7, Rodon 7 (Gunter 67, 6), B Davies 7, Thomas 6, Smith 6 (Ramsey 63), Ampadu 6, Burns 4 (Roberts 46, 7), Wilson 7, Johnson 8, James 6 (Bale 70, 6)