UEFA Nations League: Netherlands 3-1 England - 5 Hits and Flops

The Netherlands booked their berth in the final of the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament with an emphatic 3-1 win over England in extra-time during the semi-final at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes on Thursday.

Ronaldo Koeman's men were deserved winners at the end of a dramatic encounter that turned on it's head, following an uninspiring start to proceedings.

The Three Lions opted against handing out a starting role to any of their Champions League finalists, while both Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum played the entirety of the 120 minutes for the Oranje.

And following a cagey start that involved both teams conceding possession at regular intervals, Marcus Rashford opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute, when he was fouled inside the area by Matthijs de Ligt.

The Dutch clawed their way back into the game in the second half and restored parity through De Ligt's trademark header, as they forced the game into extra-time.

And over the course of the additional 30 minutes, England committed two catastrophic defensive errors in each half of extra-time to condemn themselves to another semi-final defeat, where they drew first blood.

Quincy Promes and Memphis Depay combined effectively to dismantle the Three Lions' rearguard, as an own goal from Kyle Walker in the 97th minute, followed by Promes' seventh goal for his country sealed the tie in the 114th minute.

The Netherlands will now face Portugal during the inaugural final of the UEFA Nations League on Sunday at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the best and worst performers from the Netherlands' win over England:

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#5 Hit - Memphis Depay

Depay played a part in all the goals scored by his team

Memphis Depay's renaissance during the Dutch revolution under Ronald Koeman has been nothing short of spectacular, to say the least.

The winger, who was branded as a flop after his dismal stint in England with Manchester United, is slowly but steadily proving his naysayers wrong with his performances for club and country.

Prior to the game against England, Depay had directly contributed to 14 goals from 12 appearances for the Netherlands under Koeman and came into the game on the back of a strong domestic season with Lyon, where he netted 12 goals and 16 assists in all competitions during the 2018/19 season.

And although he started the Nations League semi-final against England in sluggish fashion, the Dutchman grew into confidence as the game progressed and proved to be a real headache for the nervy English defenders.

Depay found Matthijs de Ligt with a perfectly executed corner kick for the equaliser in the second half, before his pressing and determined closing down at the top of the pitch forced England to shoot themselves in the foot and concede two embarrassing goals in extra-time.

The 25-year-old showed excellent awareness to dispossess both John Stones and Ross Barkley for the Netherlands' second and third goals respectively, as he combined with substitute Quincy Promes to deliver the decisive blow.

All that running and hassling did not go to waste in the end.

#4 Flop - Kyle Walker

Walker's days are numbered in the national team

Kyle Walker came into the Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands on the back of his most successful domestic season in England.

The 29-year-old turned out 52 times in all competitions for Manchester City, as they completed a clean sweep of trophies in England by winning a historic domestic treble.

However, none of that mattered against the Netherlands on Thursday in Guimaraes, as England rattled under the incessant pressure on offer from their counterparts in extra-time.

All of England's rearguard was exposed quite heavily throughout the course of the game, but the lack of attention and awareness on offer from the most experienced of the lot in the form of Walker, proved detrimental in the end.

The full-back was lucky not to concede in the first half when Jordan Pickford saved his blushes after he was caught napping on the ball by Memphis Depay.

Despite narrowly escaping peril on a few occasions, Walker was well and truly put to the sword in extra-time, like the rest of his team-mates.

Although he cannot be entirely blamed for the goals England conceded, his lack of pace to get back and successfully block Quincy Promes meant that insult was added to injury, when it was awarded as an own goal to the Netherlands.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who will represent the England U21s during the European Championship in Italy this summer, looks a far better option for the future, especially since he is way younger and pro-active.

As such, Walker's days could be numbered in Gareth Southgate's Three Lions setup.

#3 Hit - Matthijs de Ligt

De Ligt displayed tremendous character during the game

In many ways, this match propelled Matthijs de Ligt status to another level and it is fair to say so, even after he conceded an early penalty to give England the lead in the first half.

The 19-year-old Ajax captain started the game in uncharacteristic fashion, so much so that it felt like he went into a shell after lunging out and bringing down Marcus Rashford for the spot-kick, after he was slow to react to a pass from Marten de Roon.

If that was not insult, Jadon Sancho's perfectly executed nutmeg left De Ligt questioning his existence, as he scrambled back unsuccessfully to try and win back possession.

However, the game demanded the talented defender to step-up and he embraced the flaws from the first half, as he grew in confidence after the interval. Virgil van Dijk proved to be a soothing influence and the Liverpool star was as imperious as ever, but De Ligt made it a point to leave his mark on the game.

The Dutchman escaped his marker without a fuss to find the back of the net for Netherlands in the 72nd minute and kick-started, or rather head-started, the comeback for the Oranje.

De Ligt has been linked with a number of clubs this summer, with Barcelona and Manchester United believed to be leading the chase for him, and the performance against England added another feather to his cap, as he proved he will not wilt under the face of adversity.

#2 Flop - John Stones

Stones had a forgetful outing to say the least

While Matthijs de Ligt redeemed himself after a tough start to the game, it was quite exactly the opposite for his counterpart John Stones at the heart of England's defence.

The 25-year-old had not started a league game for Manchester City since April, but he was still named in the playing eleven by Gareth Southgate, possibly due to his ability to play out from the back.

It did not go pear-shaped for Stones right from the get-go, he looked calm in the initial stages and had been decent for the majority of the first half. However, the Englishman started losing his grip on things as soon as De Ligt shrugged him off the ease and muscled through him to score the equaliser in the second half.

Kyle Walker was the closest to Stones and he watched on helplessly, just like he would during extra-time, when Stones proved to be the antagonist for his team yet again, not once but twice.

For the Netherlands' second goal, Stones stopped for a moment, lost the ball owing to pressure from Memphis Depay and embarrassingly fell over, as the Dutchman passed it to Quincy Promes, who had stolen a march on Walker, whose touch took it over the line.

Just 17 minutes later, Stones would again try to play out from the back in a tight spot close to his penalty area and his pass to Ross Barkley, who ended up falling flat on his face after being dispossessed by Depay, allowed Promes to provide the killer blow.

Too often Jordan Pickford was forced to make amends, but he ran out of luck in extra-time, furiously remonstrating with Stones, who fell victim to his own approach.

#1 Hit - Frenkie de Jong

De Jong ran the show in midfield for the Oranje

Frenkie de Jong was the best player on the pitch by a country mile and he made it all look so effortless, while operating with ease in tight spaces and making excellent use of the ball.

The 22-year-old has already taken the world by storm following his exploits with Ajax, which subsequently earned him a blockbuster move to Barcelona back in January.

And De Jong's performance against England proved to be the perfect testament to the wealth of quality at his disposal, which tempted the Spanish champions to shell out €75m for his services.

It almost felt like De Jong was operating on an entirely different pedestal as he continued to run the show for his team by dictating terms down the middle of the park.

The England midfield was flat and nowhere near progressive on the night, but that should not take the shine away from De Jong, who time and again made his opponents look silly by finding enough time and space on the ball.

By the end of his involvement during the game, De Jong had touched the ball 108 times, his passing accuracy read 97 per cent, as he ushered the game along elegantly and effortlessly for the Dutch.

The most amusing and exciting thing about De Jong is that he is made to play like he did against England, as the guy who takes the ball, keeps it with him and finds the spaces around him.

A rare breed, a natural talent and Barcelona have got their hands on a mercurial ball-player!