Tyrell Malacia made his debut for the Dutch national team on Saturday evening in the World Cup qualifier against Montenegro (4-0). The Feyenoord defender was ‘reasonably satisfied’ with his first international match afterwards, but also knew that the game could have ended very differently if his slip had been punished after the break. A faulty pass by Malacia was picked up by Stefan Mugosa, who however produced a hopeless shot.
Malacia immediately clapped his hands to his face when he saw the ball go towards Mugosa. “I hit that ball wrong, like in the opponent’s feet,” Malacia told the NOS. “That just shouldn’t happen. Fortunately, that ball doesn’t go in, otherwise it might be a completely different game. When you see that striker shoot the ball into the stands, you are relieved, yes.”
Malacia.. MALACIA! ?? That had been a disastrous debut for the Feyenoord back. But he escapes unharmed.#NEDMON pic.twitter.com/wTZksBwCFe
— NOS Football (@NOS Football) September 4, 2021
The team of national coach Louis van Gaal made the 2-0 via Memphis Depay not much later and eventually won with large numbers. “It was really nice to make my debut. You look forward to this all your life and I’m glad I can stand here. I’m quite satisfied: there were a few small moments that could have been better. But most of all I am very happy that I was able to make my debut.”
Malacia does not know whether he will also be in the starting lineup again next Tuesday, when Turkey comes to visit Amsterdam. He replaced the suspended Daley Blind on Saturday. “I just train well and you try to make the choice as difficult as possible. In the end, the coach makes the decision and I’ll see what happens.” Rafael van der Vaart saw the necessary vulnerabilities in the the Dutch squad, especially at the beginning of the second half. “You have three big mistakes, but that striker certainly didn’t like unwrapping presents. It was really unbelievable,” said the former football player after the game NOS.
Fellow analyst Pierre van Hooijdonk saw ‘the entire rearguard go wrong’. “That will cost you very dearly against a better opponent. I think that Montenegro striker was actually the front stopper, judging by his completion. Malacia handed in a ball in no time, Denzel Dumfries made a mistake, Matthijs de Ligt handed in a ball and Stefan de Vrij had a back pass that was much too short.”
The three least players of the Dutch also score a sufficient in Eindhoven
Voetbalzone handed out report figures to the players of the Dutch.
Van Hooijdonk was pleased with Malacia. “He started very safely. In the beginning, he rarely, if ever, sought to overlap with Cody Gakpo. He did that more at the end of the first half. As the match progressed, I found him to be getting stronger, beyond that one moment. He’s lightning fast. That’s very nice if you’re a defender. Physically isn’t his forte, but he doesn’t shy away from the duel.”