· 2 min readIn this Serbia vs Netherlands match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Serbia needed a response after losing to Greece, but the Netherlands came into the game as favourites and took control of possession from the start. Xavi’s side had 69% of the ball in the first half, but for long periods that possession was completely sterile. Serbia defended in a 5-2-3 that dropped into a 5-4-1 and closed the spaces well, while the Dutch looked painfully slow whenever they had the ball.
Interestingly, the first big chance came from Serbia. Gakpo was off the pitch receiving treatment, leaving the Netherlands temporarily down to ten men. The ball was worked out to the right, a low cross came into the box and Joveljić appeared in front of goal, but his shot lacked the power to trouble Verbruggen. Shortly after, the Dutch got some bad news: Gakpo could not continue and had to come off, with Ruben van Bommel replacing him.
The game remained poor and the Netherlands could not find a way to turn their territorial dominance into actual danger. Then came one of those moments that completely changes a match. Summerville went into the box and went down after contact with Aleksa Terzić. There were plenty of doubts about the decision, but the referee pointed to the spot. This was not one of those penalties where you immediately look at it and think it is clearly a foul. At the very least, it was highly debatable.
Mexx Meerdink did not care about any of that. He took the penalty brilliantly, hitting it quickly and placing it into the corner, leaving Vanja with no chance despite his 2.02-metre frame. 0-1 and the Netherlands were ahead without having created a clear chance. It was a gift for a team dominating possession but doing very little with it.
Serbia continued to look limited, with their last shot coming back in the 17th minute. Dumfries had a good chance after a brilliant hold-up play from Meerdink, but took too long to finish. At half-time, the Netherlands had ten shots to Serbia’s two, but the game was far from under control.
And Serbia needed just one minute of the second half to equalise. Jović came on at the break and immediately found himself in the middle of the chaos. His first shot was saved, Živković’s follow-up was also blocked, Lukić tried to finish awkwardly and the ball eventually fell perfectly for Jović, who smashed it into the net. 1-1 and the game was back to square one.
The Netherlands responded and finally started finding more space. Van Bommel hit the post after a cross from Dumfries and Reijnders had a huge chance, completely unmarked inside the box, but fired over. There was more space now, but the finishing was still missing.
Until Meerdink appeared again. Guus Til came on and, practically a minute later, received the ball on the left, played it into Meerdink’s run and the striker finished with real composure. 1-2 and Meerdink’s second international goal, as well as his second of the night. From there, the game returned to the pattern we had seen in the first half: Serbia pinned back, the Netherlands with the ball and very little space for counter-attacks.
Serbia tried to react late on, but they had woken up too late. Jović had a chance with a header, while the Netherlands even had a counter-attack that could have killed the game, but Guus Til played a terrible pass and Vanja was able to make the save.
Post-match
Overall, the Netherlands were clearly the better side, but they once again showed how difficult it can be for them to turn dominance into goals. Meerdink ended up solving that problem.
