Netherlands 2-2 Spain: Late Mikel Merino strike earns draw for holders

Nations League holders Spain fought back against the ten-man Netherlands as Mikel Merino's late goal saw their quarter-final first leg drawn 2-2.

Tijjani Reijnders' excellent finish just moments after the restart gave Ronald Koeman's side the lead in Rotterdam but after Jorrel Hato was sent off Merino struck in added time.

Match in brief: Spain keep record going

EURO 2024 champions Spain had won 14 of their previous 16 matches and looked set to continue that run when excellent pressing from Lamine Yamal saw them win the ball back on the right wing. He found Pedri, who teed up Nico Williams and the winger was able to spin and fire past Bart Verbruggen.

But the home side rallied well, Jeremie Frimpong finding room for a cross which Spain could not deal with and Justin Kluivert teed up Cody Gakpo for a smashing low finish.

Reijnders clipped the top of the crossbar with a fantastic effort, and the Milan midfielder soon had the home side ahead.

Again Frimpong was the architect, carrying the ball down the right and finding Reijnders in space on the edge of the area and he steered in brilliantly with his left foot.

Spain had more and more possession as the half wore on but rarely threatened, even after Hato saw red.

But then in added time, Williams hit a shot which Verbruggen could not hold and Merino tapped in to make it 22 competitive games without defeat for Spain.

The tie is set for another captivating second leg in Valencia on Sunday.

Derek Brookman, match reporter

The Netherlands came from behind to take what looked like being a crucial lead to Spain for the second leg of this Nations League quarter final - until Merino's late goal. Frimpong was central to both Dutch goals, and was a constant thorn in the Spanish defence. The Dutch rearguard handled the much-vaunted La Roja attack with aplomb throughout, even after going down to ten men, but could not quite pick up a notable victory against the European champions.

Reaction

Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach: "It's a bit sad when you concede the late goal. I don't think we deserved it. But you know when you play with ten men, it's going to be difficult. The way we played, the way we fought, that was very good. We dared to take the game to Spain. We were the better team."

Nico Williams, Spain goalscorer: "It was a very intense game. We knew that we would be up against it. We have a good team, but we have to work harder than ever. I'm very happy with my goal and I'm happy with the team. This match has shown that we never give up. Now we have a great chance in Valencia. I hope we do our best to win there."

Key stats

• Spain have lost two of 28 games under manager Luis de la Fuente.
• Spain have never beaten Netherlands away from home.
• Netherlands have lost only one of their last nine matches against Spain.

Line-ups

Netherlands: Verbruggen; Geertruida, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Hato; De Jong (Koopmeiners 74), Reijnders (Wieffer 90); Frimpong, Kluivert (Simons 74), Gakpo; Depay (De Ligt 84)

Spain: Simón; Porro, Le Normand, Cubarsí (Huijsen 41), Cucurella; Pedri (Olmo 66), Zubimendi, Ruiz (Merino 84); Yamal (Oyarzabal 66), Morata (Pérez 66), Williams

How do the Nations League quarter-finals work?

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The group winners and runners-up from League A have reached the quarter-final stage of the Nations League.

Ties will take place across two legs, each side playing home and away, with the winners progressing to the Final Four in June.

The semi-finals will be played on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June to decide who contests the final and the third-place match on Sunday 8 June.