The colour orange flooded the Stadion Feijenoord on Thursday evening as the Netherlands drew 1-1 with Poland.
Both sides were looking to continue their solid starts to the 2026 World Cup Qualifying campaign. The Netherlands had scored ten and conceded zero before tonight.
The home side took the lead in the 27th minute thanks to a Denzel Dumfries header; however, Matty Cash‘s wonder strike in the 79th minute rescued a point for Poland.
Team News:
Ronald Koeman started eight Premier League players in tonight’s World Cup Qualifying match, with only Denzel Dumfries, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay playing their football elsewhere.
Jan Urban named his first-ever Poland starting XI, and it was as expected. Robert Lewandowski is leading the line with familiar faces such as Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior, Matty Cash and Piotr Zielinski all featuring.
Frustration for Koeman’s Netherlands:
The Netherlands threatened early on in the first half, with Manchester City‘s Tijjani Reijnders striking the woodwork in the 12th minute. Reijnders, who joined Pep Guardiola‘s City in the summer from AC Milan for £46.5 million, had an effort from outside of the box which took a slight deflection off Nicola Zalewski‘s back and hit the right post.
Denzel Dumfries came very close to breaking the deadlock just minutes before the opener would be scored. A ball in from the left was crossed into the box by Cody Gakpo, who found a determined Dumfries at the back post; however, his header was denied by Lukasz Skorupski, who was forced into a double save in the end after the ball came back off Zalewski.
Oranje took the lead in the 27th minute, and it was Denzel Dumfries who converted this time around with his head. Memphis Depay delivered a beautiful corner from the left and with Skorupski looking lost in the box, Dumfries came towering in at the back post and headed into an empty net from a tight angle. The Inter Milan right back really is a weapon for this Dutch side. It is his second goal of this World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Poland had their best opportunity of the first half to equalise in the 37th minute when Fenerbahce‘s Sebastian Szymanski had a free header in the box however the effort glanced wide of the right post. Zalewski looked to pose a threat down the left for Urban’s side, putting some pinpoint crosses into the danger zone.
Simone Sozza blew his whistle for half-time, and it was the Netherlands who had the lead heading into the break after Dumfries’s headed finish in the 27th minute. There could not have been any complaints from the Polish camp at the break, and Urban would have been pleased with his side’s opening 45 minutes. Absorbing the Netherlands’ pressure and then trying to catch them on the counterattack was the game plan adopted by The Eagles.
Sighs of relief would have come from the Dutch side just after the hour mark as Robert Lewandowski was replaced by Karol Swiderski. Poland’s all-time top goal scorer had failed to get into the game. Then again, he does not get the same service as he gets at Barcelona and as he received for so long at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
New Tottenham arrival, Xavi Simons, came close to doubling the home nations’ lead in the 68th minute. The 22-year-old picked up the ball on the edge of the box, and his left-footed effort just went wide of the right post.
Memphis Depay would have to wait at least until Sunday evening to become the Netherlands’ leading goal scorer, as he was replaced by Wout Weghorst in the 78th minute. Depay has 50 goals for the Netherlands, as does a certain Robin van Persie.
What came in the 79th minute was absolutely astonishing. Matty Cash had been trying to hit the back of the net all night with long-range efforts, and on this occasion, he did just that. The Aston Villa right back received the ball on the right side of the box, got the ball out of his feet and unleashed an absolute thunderbolt into the top right corner. It was out of nowhere, but what a way to bring your country level. That was Cash’s third international goal. He’s the best of the bunch for sure.
The points were shared. That would have felt like a win for Poland.
Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands are back in action on Sunday evening when they travel to face Lithuania.
Poland host Finland on Sunday night.
It is still all to play for in Group G as the Netherlands, Poland and Finland all sit on seven points.