Netherlands 2-2 Poland: Depay misses late penalty as Dutch draw thriller

The Netherlands missed their chance to make it three wins out of three in UEFA Nations League Group A4 as Memphis Depay hit the post with a late penalty after his side had fought back from two behind.

Match in brief: Dutch hit back in thriller

Denzel Dumfries fires in Netherlands' equaliserGetty Images

The Netherlands made a bright start, but fell behind against the run of play when Nicola Zalewski switched the play from left to right, where Matty Cash picked up the ball, drove into the area and shot past Mark Flekken.

The visitors held out for the rest of the half and then stunned their hosts a second time when Przemysław Frankowski beat the offside trap and teed up Piotr Zieliński to score.

Davy Klaassen quickly reduced the arrears with a smart close-range finish, before Denzel Dumfries levelled with a deflected effort three minutes later.

There was late drama to come though as Łukasz Skorupski denied Depay from close range, with Cash then adjudged to have handled the rebound. However, Depay hit the post from the spot, before the keeper made a stunning late stop to deny him once more.

Derek Brookman, match reporter

An enjoyable encounter in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The Dutch looked in serious trouble after going two down immediately after the restart, but Klaassen – so often the man to score crucial goals for club and country – brought the Oranje right back into the mix. I suspect both coaches will be content with sharing the spoils, although Louis van Gaal will rue that late penalty miss. Poland, meanwhile, proved emphatically that they can still compete without Robert Lewandowski.

Reaction

Matty Cash, Poland defender: "It's a really good result. A lot of teams come here and struggle. We showed fantastic character to stay in the game and keep it at 2-2. I had a sigh of relief at the end [when Depay missed the penalty], but the feeling when I scored was unbelievable – one of the best feelings I've ever had."

Denzel Dumfries, Netherlands defender: "In the first half the ball circulation was too slow from our side. I think they only had one shot, and it was a goal. But our team spirit in the second half was amazing."

Jan Bednarek, Poland defender: "I think we can be satisfied with the point. We knew they were going to be a tough side. At then end we had a bit of luck, they missed a penalty and had a few chances, but our passion, commitment and fight was of the highest level."

Frenkie de Jong, Netherlands midfielder: "I think in the end it's a bit disappointing, because at home you always want to win. We had opportunities at the end but the spirit in the team and the way we fight to come back is really positive."

Matty Cash celebrates his goalAFP via Getty Images

Key stats

• Poland have never beaten Netherlands away from home (D6 L4).
• The Netherlands have only failed to score in one of their last 25 international matches.
• Poland have not failed to score in their last 21 international matches.
• Memphis Depay missed a penalty for the tenth time in his career (scored 32).

Line-ups

Netherlands: Flekken; J. Timber (Teze 64), De Vrij, Aké; Dumfries, Berghuis (Gakpo 64), Klaassen (Koopmeiners 64), F. de Jong, Blind; Bergwijn (Weghorst 77), Depay.

Poland: Skorupski; Cash, Bednarek, Kiwior, Bereszyński; Frankowski (Glik 84), Góralski (Żurkowski 57), Krychowiak, Zalewski; Zieliński, K. Piątek.

What happens after the UEFA Nations League group stage?

UEFA via Getty Images

The four group winners in League A will advance to the knockout finals with, in principle, one appointed as hosts. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 June 2023 with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 18 June.

The teams finishing fourth in the groups in League A will be relegated to League B for the 2024/25 edition.