EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (Reuters) – Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman was understandably pleased with his side’s positive start to their Nations League campaign as they beat Bosnia 5-2 on Saturday and can look forward with confidence to Tuesday’s clash with Germany.
The Dutch were 2-1 up at the break but allowed Bosnia back into the match at 3-2 with some 15 minutes remaining, only to go on and score two late goals for a convincing winning margin.
The home side at times produced some flashy football to the delight of the crowd at the Philips Stadion and their coach.
“We played very well in possession of the ball. Very fresh, fast, often finding the man between the lines. We certainly had a good phase after the break, but then we had to kill off the match,” said Koeman.
Instead, when cruising 3-1 they suddenly conceded to Bosnian veteran Edin Dzeko and had a nervy spell before making sure of the victory at the end.
“When Bosnia brought it back to 3-2, you saw some doubt in our team, which was not necessary if you looked at the overall scheme of the match. Their two goals came from nowhere,” Koeman said.
Bosnia’s second saw Dzeko get goal-side of defender Matthijs de Ligt to score, but Koeman said any criticism of the defender would be harsh.
“He himself also realised that he was in the wrong position. This should not happen, but mistakes are part of football. I think it is unfair to make a big deal out of it,” said the coach.
The Dutch next host Germany, who beat Hungary 5-0 on Saturday, in Amsterdam on Tuesday in their next League A Group 3 match.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
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