The Dutch national team has booked a minimal victory in the World Cup qualifying series on Friday evening. In the Daugava Stadium in Riga, Latvia was defeated 0-1 by a goal by Davy Klaassen. Football zone assesses the players of the Dutch national team who participated in at least one half with a score.
Player Report the Dutch against Latvia
| PLAYER | FIGURE |
|---|---|
| Justin Bijlow | 7.5 |
| Denzel Dumfries | 5 |
| Stefan de Vrij | 7 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 6 |
| Daley Blind | 7 |
| Davy Klaassen | 7 |
| Frenkie de Jong | 4.5 |
| Gus Til | 6 |
| Steven Berghuis | 4.5 |
| Memphis Depay | 5 |
| Cody Gakpo | 5.5 |
Numbers the Dutch
Justin Bijlow: 7.5
It was only in the second minute of stoppage time that Bijlow made his first save. With his good intervention, hindered by two players blocking his view, Feyenoord’s keeper prevented Igors Tarasovs’ equalizing goal. He didn’t have to act often before that moment. The the Dutch goalkeeper could not be caught making a mistake when he had to intervene. He saw through where Latvia wanted the crosses to land, always reached his goal on time and plucked the balls from the air. Bijlow has a new competitor with Mark Fleks, but gives Louis van Gaal no reason to replace him. However, the fact that he is the man of the match with a 7.5 does give you something to think about about the rest of the the Dutch squad.
the Dutch crawls through the eye of the needle in injury time. Justin Bijlow saves at a crucial moment and seems to secure the three points for the the Dutch.#letned pic.twitter.com/5c4gquq0vX
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) October 8, 2021
Denzel Dumfries: 5
Dumfries is praised for his attacking contributions, but the right-back seems to come into its own in that area against teams that give away spaces. Dumfries’ offensive game against the compact Latvians was disappointing. In the final phase of the first half, he let the ball jump off the feet in the box, which meant that a good chance was lost. Dumfries did have some good defensive interceptions in the first half. Halfway through the second half, Dumfries gave the ball away through clumsy defense, but he was a bit more valuable offensively, by delivering the ball well to the far post a few times.
Stefan de Vrij: 7
De Vrij, who was preferred over Matthijs de Ligt, did little wrong in Riga. He did not make such a convincing impression when Latvia reported to the half of the the Dutch after 24 minutes, but otherwise he remained calm under pressure at important moments. The defender of Internazionale distinguished himself in small moments, for example by clearing a cross from the penalty area. Ten minutes after the break he could get more out of a serious header chance.
The Latvians now come out well a number of times and make it difficult for the defense of the Dutch national team. For now it remains 0-1.#letned pic.twitter.com/elkpPzh8Ts
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) October 8, 2021
Virgil van Dijk: 6
A big mistake by Van Dijk almost resulted in Latvia’s 1-1 in the twentieth minute. The home team was able to break out after an impure pass from the defender, after which the the Dutch was released with a fright. Five minutes later, it was Van Dijk who just removed the ball from another counterattack by Latvia. The Liverpool defender played well in the second half. He won the majority of his duels and with a nice long ball fourteen minutes before time, he was at the basis of a good chance for the the Dutch.
Daley Blind: 7
With his tight passes between the lines, Blind was a very useful force for the the Dutch in the build-up. His balls on Til in particular helped the Dutch’s game forward. After 24 minutes, he was also valuable defensively, blocking an effort by SC Cambuur attacker Roberts Uldrikis. In the second half, Blind delivered a good cross to Gakpo, which created a head chance, and a nice cross pass to Depay. In the entire game, Blind was the player with the most ball contacts (127). He won all his duels (six out of six).
Davy Klaassen: 7
In an uninspired the Dutch, Klaassen was one of the few players who left an excellent impression in the first half. The midfielder opened the scoring in the nineteenth minute: he was released after a corner from Memphis Depay, stepped back at the right time and successfully took the ball out of the air. A minute later, he prevented a goal from the other side by blocking Latvia’s shot twice during an impending breakout. Not everything went well: Klaassen let the ball jump off his foot with a serious chance and was not always clear in the passing. After the break Klaassen was a lot less noticeable.
GOAL – Davy Klaassen beautifully completes the 0-1 against the Latvians, after a sharp corner kick by Memphis Depay.#letned pic.twitter.com/THMzvMp17Z
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) October 8, 2021
Frenkie de Jong: 4.5
De Jong cannot look back on a good game. In the first half, Latvia hardly put any pressure on the midfield, but he came too little with the ball, while the the Dutch just needed his rushes. His input was too limited and his passes too impure. In the second half, De Jong let himself be put off the ball several times and his passing again left something to be desired. However, he finally sent a nice deep pass towards the penalty area in the final phase.
Gus Til: 6
The basic debutant of the Dutch was busy with runs on the left flank and quick continuations in possession. Rafael van der Vaart noted in the break that Til often chose the safe solution instead of turning towards the goal. “He lets go of a lot of moments to spin or bounce forward.” In the second half, Til was a lot less involved in the the Dutch game and he was substituted for Ryan Gravenberch.
Steven Berghuis: 4.5
Berghuis was replaced after an hour for Noa Lang and that was an understandable choice by national coach Van Gaal. The attacker of Ajax could not distinguish himself against Latvia. He was still actively involved in the first five minutes and prepared a chance for Depay, but then played too impure. Berghuis occasionally tried to pull in along the sixteen-meter area and then shoot, but the thought was often better than the execution.
Steven Berghuis gives it a try. He has the ball in front of his favorite leg, but the Ajax player pushes it wide.#letned pic.twitter.com/JcwAP2U5oj
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) October 8, 2021
Memphis Depay: 5
In the first half, the attacker received an assist, with a corner from which Klaassen opened the score. It was one of his few happy acts from the first act. The combinations with teammates often left something to be desired, while Depay also did not get the most out of his own opportunities. That pattern repeated itself after the break. The speed of action was too low for the Barcelona attacker. It took him too long to figure out what to do with the ball and with that he took the sting out of his own danger. Depay was not convincing in the duels. He lost the ball 19 times, the most of any player on the field.
Cody Gakpo: 5.5
When the the Dutch needed depth, Gakpo too often opted for the safe pass to the back. He too often failed to take action. In the few moments when he did, something good followed, such as the way he prepared a chance for Klaassen in the second minute, or how he slalomed himself between two defenders after 34 minutes. In the second half, Gakpo missed a good header opportunity and did not leave a great impression. Fifteen minutes before the end he was replaced by Wout Weghorst.