Overview
- The Netherlands, which won a 2-1 friendly Friday in Amsterdam, came from behind with a Virgil van Dijk header from a Teun Koopmeiners corner and a Tijjani Reijnders strike after a Denzel Dumfries cut-back.
- Koeman trialed roles by starting Donyell Malen as center forward on his 50th cap, using Koopmeiners on the right to drift inside and push Dumfries high, and handing AZ midfielder Kees Smit his debut.
- The coach praised the intensity yet criticized Ryan Gravenberch for failing to cover Dumfries on Andreas Schjelderup’s opener, saying those box-defense moments must improve.
- Norway lacked Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, and the Netherlands now face Ecuador in Eindhoven on Tuesday before a June warm-up against Algeria.
- Public reaction focused on selection calls, with commentator Hugo Borst arguing Smit looks too early for a World Cup place, a talking point as Koeman weighs his midfield options.