Nations League: Netherlands 3-1 England - errors costly as Dutch head to final

1. De Ligt levels in normal time after giving away penalty for Rashford opener
2. Lingard finishes late in normal time but VAR adjudges him to be offside
3. Stones & Barkley errors gift Dutch two goals in extra-time
4. Winners play Portugal in Sunday's final

A familiar tale

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England have faltered at the semi-final stage of a tournament once again.

Marcus Rashford put them ahead from the penalty spot but the Netherlands forced extra time.

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Then England had what would have been a late winner ruled out by VAR, and two howlers in extra time allowed the Dutch to chalk up a deserved win.

Reuters

You can read Phil McNulty's match report here.

See how the players rated here.

And check out the best reaction below.

England now play Switzerland in a third/fourth play-off on Sunday, while Netherlands go on to play portugal in the Nations League final.

'We could have learned nothing'

England

More from Gareth Southgate on Sky Sports: "I think it was a different type of game to the Croatia semi-final from 2018 and we won't have too many of these high quality matches. We could have had a Euro 2020 qualifier and learned nothing.

"There were some good individual performances and as a manager you have to lead them through these periods and make sure we give a good account of ourselves on Sunday."

Asked whether an all-English champions League final effected preparations: "I think that's obvious but I do not think this is the time to speak about that. We did not handle them well at set plays but the preparation is a non-story."

'The next few days will be painful'

More from Gareth Southgate: "We started to dictate the flow of the game a bit more after their equaliser and we had to stay patient. When you're chasing the game you want to play quickly and we did well with Jesse Lingard and Ross Barkley. We have to play out better, and the last goal was an element of fatigue and Ross had gone down with cramp moments before.

"When you're fatigued mistakes happen and the mistakes are passes our players can play with no problem. The Dutch pressed very well with a real intensity and were not quite as sharp on some of the decision-making. I think it's a really important game for us to reflect on, and the next few days will be painful having got to this stage, but we will be stronger for the experience."

'Mistakes happen under fatigue'

England

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England manager Gareth Southgate on Sky Sports: "It was an incredible evening with all of the twists and turns of the match. I think we have learned so much in terms of playing against a top-quality team that posed us different problems to what we have faced in the past.

"We posed a threat in the game but we have conceded really poor goals. We had opportunities to score but we haven't taken them. At 85 minutes, you think you have scored to put you into a great position to go through, but with that being disallowed and then conceding the second really deflated the team."

'We deserved it'

EPA

Ronald Koeman, Netherlands coach: "That was a positive match. We had control throughout, though we tended to use the flanks when it was through the middle that we were hurting them.

"They went ahead but we kept our cool and, aside from that header that was close [from Sancho], we were quite comfortable. I thought we deserved it."

Phil McNulty

BBC Sport chief football writer

If the Netherlands had possessed a reliable, clinical striker they could have put England away even more ruthlessly tonight. Calamitous does not cover some of that defending here.

"We won't stop doing what we are doing, they are passes our players can make," Gareth says.

He's honest enough to say that the England players made mistajes throughout the game that could have been punished as well.

Gareth Southgate says "we have learned so much" from that defeat.

Full reaction to come.

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Amrul: Pep and Klopp are purists of the game and they focus on great attacking football from the back... We have Southgate who played for Palace, Villa and Boro. In those days it was all about hoofing the ball into the stands.

Liam: Thought Southgate wasn’t a good enough manager at the World Cup and I think the same now. Wrong starting line up and doesn’t know how to adapt his team.

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Matthijs de Ligt has scored in each of his last two international appearances for the Netherlands, having scored none in his first 14 beforehand.

'We were inches away from winning it'

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England forward Harry Kane on Sky Sports: "A massive disappointment after being ahead at half time. We dropped too deep and it took them to equalise for us to step it up again. We scored what we thought was going to be the winner but that's the fine margins in games like this. It's part of learning as a team, we take that on the chin and that's the way we want to play.

"That's what VAR is there for. It's hard because you think you've won but we've got to get used to it. I'm sure they got it right.

"I don't think the Champions League final affected it tonight, as a squad we are good enough whoever plays. This is when the tournaments are going to be, you've got to pick yourself up at this stage of the season. We were a few inches away from winning it.

"We made sloppy mistakes giving the ball away but that's what we have to learn from. When you come across good teams that's what they do."

'We were the better team'

BBC Radio 5 Live

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Netherlands and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk said: "We will see what is going to happen in the final but we defended well as a team.

"We should have done more in front of goal but to win with this team is great. I thought we were the better team and we had the better chances."

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England crying out for Reuben Loftus-Cheek!

Joe, London

'Southgate would struggle to name his strongest XI'

Chris Sutton

Ex-Chelsea striker on BBC Radio 5 live

The difficulty for Gareth Southgate at the moment is that he would struggle to name his best XI.

'Tough to take'

BBC Radio 5 Live

PA

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, England midfielder Declan Rice said: "It is gutting and really tough to take. After Marcus Rashford put that penalty in, we ran our socks off in the first half.

"But then we sat back a bit and the set-piece is a tough one to take because we work on that day in day out. Then we had the VAR controversy and it's a tough one to take while we were all celebrating. We have to take it on the chin and then we gifted them two goals."

An interesting debate on Sky between the pundits over whether those two goals are a result of a system - or 'playing from the back' - or just individual errors.

'You cannot afford that at this level'

Chris Sutton

Ex-Chelsea striker on BBC Radio 5 live

For the second goal, John Stones just took too many touches. He was off the pace and you cannot afford that at this level.

If you did that in a Under-12 game you would be having a word with your young centre-half.

I've just seen the second goal again - how on earth England have conceded a goal from that position is incredible.

Ross Barkley has the ball on the halfway line and 15 seconds later they have gifted the Dutch a goal. Ridiculous.

'Barkley needs game time'

Chris Waddle

Ex-England winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think Ross Barkley is getting better and he needs game time. That is the difference and these Dutch players are playing every week.

Declan Rice plays every week but this was the hardest game he has come up against today.

It looked for a while that John Stones had eradicated the errors but it seems to have crept back in.

Barcelona have got a good'un.