The the Dutch Lionesses narrowly lost in the exhibition game with Spain on Friday-evening. The game that took place in Marbella was dominated by the home country, but mainly thanks to an excellent performance by goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal, the damage was limited: 1-0. The odds between Spain and the Netherlands perfectly reflected the match image: twenty to one. The next game of the Dutch women’s team is on April 13, when Australia is the opponent in friendly context.
The team of national coach Sarina Wiegman had to leave the initiative to Spain in the initial phase of the match, which immediately went in search of the opening goal. In the tenth minute of play, Van Veenendaal had to take serious action for the first time, when she kept a shot from a free kick by Alèxia Putellas out of the goal with her fingertips. After fifteen minutes of play it was a hit for the Spanish women. Andrea Pereira received the leather after a short corner and found Patricia Guijarro in the sixteen-meter area, who nodded in from the ground: 1-0.
Only five minutes before the halftime signal, the Netherlands was involved for the first time. Dominique Janssen produced a dangerous cross, which was almost worked into an own goal by goal-maker Guijarro. The game image changed little in the second half: Spain continued to play, while the Netherlands was completely dependent on Van Veenendaal’s excellent goalkeeping work. With the input of Lineth Beerensteijn, Kika van Es and Shanice van de Sanden, trainer Wiegman hoped to force a breakthrough, but the Spanish wall was not broken in the final phase.
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