Portugal 1-0 Netherlands - 4 things we learnt from the UEFA Nations League final

#1 Despite their recent progress, international glory continues to evade the Netherlands

Previews: Portugal v Netherlands - UEFA Nations League Final

The Netherlands is one of the traditional heavyweights of international football and The Oranje have given us some of the most illustrious names to ever grace a football field.

Players of the distant past like Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Ryan Neskeens, Patrick Kluivert, Ronald Koeman but to name a few have provided us with some of the most legendary moments in the history of the game.

The country is famed for its continuous grooming of young players with the Ajax academy being the primary example among many. After a slump, the club announced its return on the big stage with a phenomenal performance last season with the core of the squad being homegrown players.

However, for all of the excitement provided, the Dutch have been without international glory since Van Basten's spectacular volley granted them their first and till date only major international trophy in Euros 1988.

Since then there have been multiple heartbreaks, with numerous semifinal appearances as well as a final appearance in the 2010 World Cup.

After finishing in third place at the 2014 World Cup, Netherlands suffered a massive decline, as they failed to adequately replace the likes of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneidjer and did not qualify for either the 2016 Euros or the 2018 World Cup.

However, since the appointment of former skipper Ronald Koeman in 2018, the side has slowly crawled its way back to the pinnacle of the beautiful game.

The former Everton manager has build his team around young players who are unafraid of taking risks and playing the attractive brand of football associated with Holland while also maintaining tactical and defensive solidity.

They impressively topped their Nations League group also containing the last two world champions in Germany and France, while also showing tenacity to come from behind and knock England out in the semifinal.

However, Portugal with their home support proved to be one step too far to ensure that their wait for international glory goes on.