Virgil van Dijk's 73rd minute header seals top spot for Holland

Holland 1-0 Belgium: Virgil van Dijk’s late header seals top spot for Dutch in Nations League with hard-fought win over neighbours… with hosts finishing as the only unbeaten side in the top tier

• Holland finished top of group 4 in the UEFA Nations League after a 1-0 victory
• Belgium needed an unlikely three-goal winning margin to finish above the hosts
• But Virgil van Dijk’s header late in the 73rd minute handed a victory to the Dutch

Holland held firm under heavy pressure from Belgium before scoring late on to finish runaway winners of group 4 in the UEFA Nations League after a tense 1-0 victory in Ajax. 

Virgil van Dijk sealed an unbeaten Nations League campaign at the Amsterdam Arena for the Dutch with an authoritative header from a corner in the 73rd minute. 

They finished with 16 points, six more than Belgium who had a chance to leapfrog their neighbours, and take first place, but needed to win by three goals or more on Sunday to do so.

Virgil van Dijk sealed a 1-0 victory over local rivals Belgium as Holland finished top of group 4

The Holland captain climbed highest from a corner to score his sixth goal for his country

Any hopes of a goal feast were quickly stymied, however, as the two sides effectively cancelled each other out in a tight tactical battle.

With possession almost equally divided between the sides (45% – 55%), the visitors had the better chances to break the deadlock, although they were ultimately unable to convert. 

However, despite taking a while to work their way into the game, the hosts finished with five attempts on target in the game, though four of those came inside the final 20 minutes. 

Kevin de Bruyne was Belgium’s best player but could not change the final result on the night

The home side were far from their fluent best but still managed five shots on target

The Dutch pressing game frustrated Belgian efforts at building up attacks, while a five-man defence for the visitors meant there was little room for the home strikers. 

Thierry Henry took charge of Belgium on the touchline, with manager Roberto Martinez suspended after his sending off in Thursday night’s 2-1 win over Wales. 

And the visitors had a chance for a perfect start after only four minutes, with Eden Hazard set up by Amadou Onana only to blast his shot wide.

Belgium’s own attacking threat was stymied by the relentless Dutch press in Amsterdam

Thierry Henry was in charge with Roberto Martinez suspended

There were other first-half chances for Michy Batshauyi, Axel Witsel, Timothy Castagne and Onana as Belgium had the better of the half’s opportunities while their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was largely untroubled.

The Dutch improved after a pair of halftime changes and Denzel Dumfries, Steven Bergwijn and Davy Klaassen were all thwarted as the home side began to find more room and Belgium lived dangerously at the back in the last stages of the game.

Belgium might well have forced a draw as a spectacular effort from substitute Dodi Lukebakio came within inches of a last gasp equaliser with the final kick of the game.

‘We wanted to win but it wasn’t a great game. We could have done better but we also had to work hard against a team with a lot of quality players. But winning was the most important,’ van Dijk told Dutch NOS television after the match.

Share this article

Source: Read Full Article