Patience pays off
England’s patient approach paid off, after waiting almost an hour to break the deadlock. The Three Lions had enjoyed the better of the possession and territorial advantage throughout, but had to bide their time when it came to goals. The breakthrough came in the 59th minute, when Danny Rose’s cross from the left was only half-cleared by Kevin Strootman as far as Jesse Lingard, whose first-time finish picked out the bottom corner.
Three’s a crowd?
England lined-up with a back three against the Dutch, as Southgate continues to experiment with his personnel ahead of the World Cup. The system seemed to suit the Three Lions too, with Kyle Walker switching inside from his regular right-back spot to reprise a role he’d played earlier in his career on the right of the trio. John Stones played the central role, with his confidence on the ball not detracting from defensive duties and Harry Maguire picked up where he left off in November with his performances against Germany and Brazil.
Jesse’s biggest fan
Gareth Southgate has never hidden his admiration for Jesse Lingard, having made him a key man in his early U21 squads between 2013-15. The England manager regularly spoke of how highly he rated the Manchester United man, often showing faith in him when he was struggling for regular first-team football at the time. And Lingard has often repaid his boss, as well as Friday’s goal against the Dutch, his first for the seniors, he also scored a memorable winner for Southgate’s U21s against Sweden at the European Championship Finals in 2015.
Double Dutch-ed
How England weren’t awarded a penalty in the 51st minute remained a mystery to most inside the Johan Cruyff Arena. Latching onto a pass from Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford beat both defender Matthijs de Ligt and goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet to the ball and clear on goal, only to be felled by both of them. All eyes turned to Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano, who awarded a goal-kick.
Early blow
England had to overcome two early blows, as Danny Rose was floored less than 30 seconds after kick-off following an over-zealous aerial challenge from Dutch debutant Hans Hateboer. The Spurs man was dazed, received treatment and returned to the action. But no sooner had Rose returned, fellow defender Joe Gomez landed awkwardly following an interception and limped straight down the tunnel before he was replaced by Harry Maguire in the central back three.
England: 1 Jordan Pickford (Everton); 2 Kieran Tripper (Tottenham Hotspur), 3 Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), 4 Kyle Walker (Manchester City), 5 John Stones (Manchester City), 6 Joe Gomez (Liverpool), 7 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool), 8 Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) (C), 9 Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), 10 Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), 11 Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
Substitutes: 15 Harry Maguire (Leicester City) for Gomez 10, 20 Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) for Sterling 68, 21 Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) for Rashford 68, 24 Danny Welbeck (Arsenal) for Lingard 68, 18 Ashley Young (Manchester United) for Rose 71, 12 Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur) for Maguire 89
Substitutes not used: 13 Joe Hart (West Ham United, loan from Manchester City), 14 Alfie Mawson (Swansea City), 16 James Tarkowski (Burnley), 17 Jake Livermore (West Bromwich Albion), 19 Lewis Cook (AFC Bournemouth), 22 Jack Butland (Stoke City), 23 Nick Pope (Burnley), , 25 Adam Lallana (Liverpool)
Goals: Jesse Lingard 59
Cautions: N/A
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Netherlands: 1 Jeroen Zoet, 2 Hans Hateboer, 3 Matthijs de Ligt, 4 Virgil van Dijk, 5 Georginio Wijnaldum, 6 Stefan de Vrij, 7 Quincy Promes, 8 Kevin Strootman, 9 Bas Dost, 10 Memphis Depay, 11 Patrick van Aaanholt.
Substitutes: 18 Davy Propper for Promes 66, 20 Ryan Babel for Dost 66, 15 Donny van de Beek for de vrij 89, 19 Wout Wieghorst for Strootman 89
Substitutes not used: 12 Guus Yil, 13 Jasper Cillessen, 14 Nathan Ake, , 16 Marten de Roon, 17 Steven Berghuis, 21 Tonny Vilhena, 22 Timothy Fosu-Mensah, 23 Justin Kluivert
Goals: N/A
Cautions: N/A
Coach: Ronald Koeman
