Netherlands 3-1 England: 3 reasons why the Dutch progressed to the finals | UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League semi-finals came to an end yesterday with the Dutch defeating the English. The Netherlands will now take on Portugal to determine the winners on Sunday night, while the Swiss and English face off on Saturday night to determine who takes the third place.

Gareth Southgate fielded a 4-3-3 with a back four of Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, John Stones, and Ben Chilwell. Jordan Henderson, Fabian Delph, and Declan Rice guarded the midfield, while Sancho, Rashford, and captain Sterling, lead the attack.

Ronaldo Koeman fielded a 4-2-3-1 with Denzel Dumfries, Matthijs de Ligt, Virgil Van Dijk, and Daley Blind guarding the defence. de Jong and de Roon made the double pivot while Wijnaldum, Babel, and Bergwijn lead the front. Memphis Depay was the sole striker.

England took the lead through a penalty converted by Marcus Rashford in the 32nd minute. Matthijs de Ligt equalized late in the second half for the Dutch through a header as we went into extra time 1-1. The Netherlands doubled up their lead after a mix-up in the defence through Quincy Promes, who went on to seal the deal with a third Dutch goal on the night.

Here is a look at three reasons why the Netherlands won.

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#3 Capitalizing on English errors and keeping a strong mentality

Matthijs de Ligt made up for his error at the other end with a goal

The Dutch went back in a horrific manner with de Ligt losing the ball under minimal pressure from Rashford and bringing him down for a penalty. However, they were persistent in their attempt to get back into the game and tried shot after shot, creating chance after chance. They ended the night with 29 shots. Even better, 14 of those shots were on target, compared to just 3 from England.

Even after conceding the lead, they had the intent to keep the attack and press on, while Matthijs de Ligt made up for his mistake at the other end with a powerful header. The mentality of the 19-year-old and that of his team is elite.

To seal the win, however, they had to keep a close eye on the English players, and their movements. Goals two and three were courtesy mistakes made by the defenders under pressure of no pressure. John Stones first made a mistake of keeping the ball for too long as Depay pinched it from him, which culminated in Promes forcing the ball in off Kyle Walker.

The third goal was a result of a mix-up between Ross Barkley and Kyle Walker as Depay and Promes combined again to score, this time, the goal awarded rightfully to Promes.

England still has a long way to go.

#2 Dutch defence kept England at bay, barring a de ligt mistake

Netherlands v England - UEFA Nations League Semi-Final

Yes, de Ligt looked rattled, and the defence looked uncomfortable at some moments with the pace of the players and piling forward of men that the English resorted to in the first half. But, never ever did they manage to expose the defence, except for two occasions, one which was waved off by VAR, and another which was saved by Dumfries' last-ditch tackle.

None of the English players could gain an aerial advantage over the tall and sturdy defenders. Out of 17 aerials won by the Dutch, 14 were won by Van Dijk, de Ligt, and Dumfries combined. Out of 18 successful tackles, 9 were made by the back four of the defence, in which Van Dijk made only one.

England had 14 shot attempts on goal but none of them turned out to be much lethal as only three were on target, out of which one was a penalty. 6 of the shots made by the English were blocked by the Dutch defence. Other than de Ligt's one error, the free header than Sancho got, and the skill that Sterling created, both of which were not complete exposure of the defense, the Dutch held their lines together and they are going to the finals.

#1 A maestro heading to Barcelona: Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong displayed excellent composure on the ball

One of the greatest generational talents, Frenkie de Jong was signed by Barcelona earlier this year. If you still don't know why, watch yesterday's game. This kid doesn't know the meaning of pressure. Under the most complex of presses, he still finds a way to turn around the player and recover.

Ask Jordan Henderson. He pressed de Jong right in front of the box, with only Jasper Cillessen in front. He didn't have a side-passing option and neither did he play Jasper into trouble, instead, he dribbled backwards and turned to pass the ball into the midfield. So, he didn't lose possession as well.

These are de Jong's numbers against England. 128 touches, 105 passes, 2 key passes, 96% pass completion, 5 successful tackles, two aerials won, and 1 dribble completed. Such great passing ability and passing isn't even his best skill, dribbling is.

This kid won the Man of the Match award yesterday and deserves to be at Barcelona and win trophies with the club.