An entertaining first leg in the UEFA Nations quarter-finals ended level after a late equaliser from Mikel Merino. The away side took the lead early on after Nico Williams shot low to beat Bart Verbruggen inside the box. Cody Gakpo levelled things up with a powerful effort that Unai Simón could do little about, before Tijjani Reijnders gave the home side the lead 40 seconds after the interval.
The Netherlands had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead but momentum went in Spain’s direction, after Jorrel Hato was given a red card for a late challenge on Robin Le Normand. Luis de la Fuente’s side had not lost a competitive game since losing 2-0 against Scotland in March 2023 and a late goal from Merino ensured that their record stayed intact.
As it happened
It was the battle of the teenagers early on, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal up against 19-year-old Hato. EURO2024’s Young Player of the Tournament won the ball off Hato, before finding
Álvaro Morata in the box. He then intelligently teed up Williams rather than opting to shoot himself and, despite an initial loose first touch, the Athletic Club man was able to turn and finish low past Verbruggen to score his first goal for his country since finding the net in Berlin against England.
While Spain are, of course, a nation famous for their tiki-taka football, Pedro Porro showcased how de la Fuente’s side are more than a one-trick-pony by finding the goalscorer Williams with a long pass across the pitch. The winger got the ball out of his feet before crossing towards Morata, who headed wide without troubling Verbruggen.
The home side were starting to make their way back into the game with the threat of Jeremie Frimpong on the right-hand side. Despite having several Spanish players surrounding him, they were unable to win the ball from the Bayer Leverkusen speedster. The ball eventually found it’s way to Justin Kluivert, who had the composure to turn on the edge of the box and then set up Liverpool’s Gakpo to fire it instinctively past Simón for his second goal in his last three UEFA Nations League games.
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It was La Roja who had started strongly, but the momentum had well and truly switched. Virgil van Dijk had been offered the opportunity to make his way forward before linking up to send the ball out wide towards the goalscorer Gakpo. There was something distinctly Mohamed Salah-esque about the cross the Liverpool man then sent into the box, as it was spun off the outside of his foot. Ultimately, the dangerous ball was swiftly dealt with by the Spain defenders.
The pressure from the Dutch continued as the first half progressed. The Spanish defence was unsettled when they were forced to make a change, with Dean Huijsen replacing Pau Cubarsí. As Frimpong was once again running riot on the right, his cross found its way in the direction of Reijnders who did not need a second invitation to shoot at goal. The Milan midfielder hit a half-volley perfectly, but he was unfortunate to see it clip the crossbar.
The first 45 minutes set a high bar for the remainder of what was still to play over the course of the two legs, but after 40 seconds of the referee’s whistle blowing at the start of the second half, the ball was once again in the back of the net. Marc Cucurella struggled to deal with Frimpong in the first half, and the Chelsea man was beaten once more, overcommitting and leaving plenty of space for Frimpong to run into, before he pulled it back to Reijnders to find the bottom corner after shooting first-time.
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Spain were starting to dominate possession since going behind, but it was again the Netherlands who was threatening. Memphis Depay had the ball on the halfway line before sending a perfectly weighted pass towards Gakpo, who immediately had eyes for goal. He quickly set himself before shooting hard and low, but Simón was equal to his effort.
Cucurella had often been spotless in a Spain shirt since de la Fuente opted to start him over Alejandro Grimaldo, but the level of fellow Bayer Leverkusen star was giving him a night to forget. Once again, Frimpong burst past him, and Cucurella resorted to trying to pull his shirt to prevent him leaving him for dead.
Two weeks after turning 19, Hato’s night came to an early end. It looked like the ball was Le Normand’s to lose after a loose touch from the Ajax youngster, and he then showed some inexperience by sliding in to wipe out the Atletico Madrid defender. With nine minutes left, the Netherlands were down to ten men.
This gave encouragement to Spain that they could capitalise on the extra man advantage. The ball was slipped into the direction of Williams, who hit a powerful shot which wounded Verbruggen when he saved it.
The away side were then rewarded for their pressure right at the death. After Verbruggen denied Williams once again with a parry into the box in the 93rd minute, Merino smelt blood. Arsenal’s makeshift striker pounced, put the ball in the back of the net and wheeled away in celebration.
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His late goal means the tie is perfectly poised for the return leg in Valencia on Sunday evening, where the Netherlands will have to move on quickly and leave behind the pain of losing their lead so late in the game after having so many chances to take a healthy lead to the second leg.
As for the European Champions, their almost two-year-long competitive unbeaten streak lives to see another day, but only just. They’re now four games away from retaining their UEFA Nations League crown, and as of right now, they look just about unbeatable.
The lineups
NED: Verbruggen; Geertruida, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Hato; Reijnders, De Jong; Frimpong, Kluivert, Gakpo; Depay
SPA: Simón; Porro, Cubarsí, Le Normand, Cucurella; Ruiz, Zubimendi, Pedri; Yamal, Morata, Williams