Netherlands 1-0 Poland: Player Ratings as Bergwijn goal gives Dutch a winning start | UEFA Nations League 2020-21
Netherlands beat Poland 1-0 at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on Friday night, with a solitary second-half goal from Steven Bergwijn proving to be the difference between the two sides in the end.
In what was mostly a dull game bereft of too much goalmouth action, the Dutch had control over possession for large parts, with their flair players like Memphis Depay and Quincy Promes not producing much in the final third.
It took Frenkie de Jong, with a moment of magic, to unlock what was a stubborn Poland defence, as his ball over the top of the Polish rearguard was kept alive and put on a plate for Bergwijn, by Hans Hateboer.
Jasper Cillessen really wasn't troubled by the Poland attack for most of the game, and barely had a save or two to make.
The Netherlands host Italy next in Group 1 of League A of the UEFA Nations League on Monday.
Here's how each player fared on the night.
Netherlands Player Ratings
Jasper Cillessen - 6/10
He made one very good save to deny Piatek in the first half, after the Polish striker got plenty behind his strike. That moment aside, Cillessen was not even tested.
Hans Hateboer - 8/10
The Atalanta man, making his first international appearance in nearly two years, looked a man determined to make up for lost time. He bombed up and down the flank really well, defending well against both Joswiak and Grosicki, and also got the assist for the winner.
Joel Veltman - 7/10
The new Brighton and Hove Albion signing was calm and composed alongside his captain at the heart of the Dutch defence. He made some critical interventions to m=prevent the likes of Zielinski and Piatek from having a clear run at goal.
Virgil van Dijk - 8/10
The Dutch skipper was imperious, and let nothing past him. He was strong in the air against Piatek, matched the Polish forward for pace, and his reading of the play was on a different planet altogether. Absolutely unshakeable.
Nathan Ake - 7/10
Starting at left-back, Ake was a constant source of trouble for Tomasz Kedziora. The new Manchester City man did not look like he was playing out of his most comfortable position, and linked up really well with Promes in front of him as well.
Marten de Roon - 6/10
De Roon sat in front of the Dutch centre-backs and cleaned up whatever he had to. He was also mighty effective switching the play out for Bergwijn and Promes to isolate themselves against the Polish full-backs.
Frenkie de Jong - 8/10
Even before the breakthrough eventually came, De Jong was the one looking most likely to score for the Netherlands. He nearly did with the last touch of the first half, when he took down a pass from Memphis on his chest, and thumped a left-footed volley onto the base of the post.
Georginio Wijnaldum - 4/10
Starting in behind Memphis and expected to be the link between the midfield and the attack, Wijnaldum was rather anonymous in this game. He didn't really get in the box often enough to trouble the Polish defence either.
Steven Bergwijn - 7/10
He was the eventual match-winner for the Dutch, but he will know that his general play will have to improve. He didn't really take on his man on the flank often enough, and should've generally used his speed and trickery a lot better.
Quincy Promes - 6/10
On the night, he was just Bergwijn without the goal. He got the ball in promising areas often enough, but just didn't make the right decisions once he got into the final third.
Memphis Depay - 6/10
His bag of tricks was trouble for Poland all night. he nearly set up De Jong at the end of the first half with an audacious chip, that could've already been a contender for the best assist of the season. His set-piece delivery was atrocious though, for the most part.
Substitutes
Donny van de Beek - 6/10
The new Manchester United man came on to replace Bergwijn, and was energetic, but didn't really impact the game, or test the Poland defence too much.
Luuk de Jong - N/A
He only came on during injury time right at the end of the game.