Debutant De Vos helps Dutch defeat Belgium

Debutant Priscilla de Vos made an immediate impact for UEFA Women's EURO 2013 hopefuls Netherlands by scoring the winner in a 3-2 friendly success away against neighbours Belgium.

After falling behind in Waregem, goals from Dyanne Bito and Lieke Martens turned the tables for the Netherlands, before Yana Daniels equalised for the home side in the 89th minute. However, De Vos volleyed in the decider in added time to settle the 27th meeting between the two nations.

Belgium, who lost just twice as they failed to make it out of Group 3 in UEFA Women's EURO 2013 qualifying, enjoyed a bright start on home soil. The game was 23 minutes old, in fact, when Mandy van den Berg's pass was intercepted by Lien Mermans, who sent Tessa Wullaert free to slip the opener beneath Loes Geurts.

The lead did not last long as, just after the half-hour, Dutch right-back Bito struck the post, before following up and making no mistake with her second effort. De Vos was introduced in the second half – alongside fellow debutants Jolijn Heuvels, Kelly Zeeman and Larissa Wigger – and the changes worked in the Netherlands' favour as Martens drove in from an angle on the right to make it 2-1.

A rapid counterattack from Belgium in the closing moments, converted by Daniels, then appeared to have secured a draw for the hosts, but De Vos struck from close range with just seconds remaining to earn the win.

"The first step has been made, and now we have really started the route towards the final tournament," said Dutch national team coach Roger Reijners. "In the first half, we did not play badly. We had a lot of possession, but we did not make use of the space behind the defensive line. We had to play on the back foot much too often.

"After the break, we allowed the Belgian team to have the ball too much. All in all, it was a useful week, in which we were able to see new players in action like the four debutants, whom we brought in for a reason."