Double Dutch in the last six minutes seals semi-final spot
● Van Dijk volley sees Netherlands top their section
A dramatic comeback–this 2-2 draw was never on the cards as the game entered the final ten minutes – sent the Netherlands to the Uefa Nations League finals and ended Germany’s nightmare year with yet more disappointment.
The fightback meant the Dutch – who missed the last European Championships and World Cup – qualified ahead of world champions France to join England, Switzerland, and Portugal in next year’s inaugural Final Four.
At 2-0 down to Germany in the 85th minute, Dutch hopes of reaching the nations league finals looked long gone.
But Quincy Promes curled a shot past Manuel Neuer, and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk – playing as a makeshift striker – volleyed in a second for the point the Netherlands needed. For all the talk of their young players, the Netherlands’ more experienced personnel made the difference.
Germany had already been relegated to League B, capping a year coach Joachim Low called “a slap in the face” after a group-stage exit at the World Cup. Some in the stands called for Low to step down after 12 years in charge, though his team dominated most of the game against the Dutch before the sudden late collapse.
The Germans showed sublime skill for Timo Werner’s ninth-minute opening goal, Serge Gnabry flicking the ball for the striker to head on before unleashing a powerful low shot from long range.
One of the Netherlands’ much-heralded young talents, defender Matthijs de Ligt, was at fault for the second goal. Faced with Leroy Sane struggling to control the ball, De Ligt mistimed his challenge, leaving Sane to hit a shot which took a deflection off Kenny Tete.
The Dutch sprang to life in the dying minutes. In the 85th, Germany failed to clear the ball and ignored Promes lurking on the edge of the penalty area. When the ball finally reached him, he had plenty of time to send a curling shot to the top-right corner past Neuer’s outstretched arm.
With nothing to lose, Van Dijk went up front, using his height and strength in the build-up to his dramatic leveller. Tonny Vilhena picked up the ball on the right flank and sent in a cross which glanced off a German head for Van Dijk to volley in the equaliser.