An aging Netherlands side’s fall from grace was complete when they failed to qualify for last summer’s World Cup. This came in the wake of their failure to reach the 2016 European Championship finals, meaning they had not qualified for two successive major tournaments for the first time since 1986.
The knives were out. The inquiries were in full swing – how could this once great Johann Cruyff-inspired footballing superpower have fallen so far? Afterall, they had finished runners-up at the 2010 World Cup, before then making the semi-finals four years later.
However, a new-look Oranje are very much on the way back under Ronald Koeman. Reinvigorated by some incredibly talented Ajax youngsters who were one kick away from the Champions League final, Netherlands stormed through to the Nations League finals from the toughest of groups, and finally look on course to return to their grandeur of old.
The writing appeared to be on the wall as France got the better of Netherlands in their Group A1 opener in Paris, but the next clash, with Germany, did not go according to the script, as a brilliant Oranje swept aside Germany to win 3-0 in Amsterdam.
France were the next victims of the Dutch renaissance, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat in the Amsterdam ArenA. Nonetheless, the Netherlands had it all to do to qualify, with a tough trip to Germany to come.
The Netherlands fell 2-0 down inside 20 minutes, and another major tournament finals seemed to have eluded them, but two late goals, the equaliser coming in the 90th minute via the head of Virgil van Dijk, sent the Dutch sensationally through, relegating Germany in the process.
How they qualified
Drawn in a group consisting of reigning world champions France and four-time world champions Germany, nobody gave Netherlands even the remotest hope of reaching the inaugural Nations League finals.
The writing appeared to be on the wall as France got the better of Netherlands in their Group A1 opener in Paris, but the next clash, with Germany, did not go according to the script, as a brilliant Oranje swept aside Germany to win 3-0 in Amsterdam.
France were the next victims of the Dutch renaissance, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat in the Amsterdam ArenA. Nonetheless, the Netherlands had it all to do to qualify, with a tough trip to Germany to come.
The Netherlands fell 2-0 down inside 20 minutes, and another major tournament finals seemed to have eluded them, but two late goals, the equaliser coming in the 90th minute via the head of Virgil van Dijk, sent the Dutch sensationally through, relegating Germany in the process.