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Cash on hand to clinch point for Poland against Netherlands / Photo: © ANP/AFP
Cash on hand to clinch point for Poland against Netherlands
A superb strike by Aston Villa's Matty Cash snatched a 1-1 draw for Poland on Thursday despite being dominated for long periods by the Netherlands in European World Cup qualifying Group G.
The Dutch were made to pay for a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal as they squandered a series of chances.
The result left Group G on a knife-edge with the Netherlands and Poland joining Finland on seven points, despite the Dutch playing fewer games.
After a cagey opening, the hosts began to dominate. Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders hit the post with adeflected shot after 12 minutes.
Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries forced a sharp save from Polish keeper Lukasz Skorupski after climbing high to win a back-post header.
Dumfries broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, soaring above the Polish defence to head home a Memphis Depay corner and send the "Oranje Army" into raptures.
Poland reacted gamely, cheered on by a sizeable and noisy travelling contingent, and showed they were a danger when midfielder Piotr Zielinski ran half the length of the pitch and fired a shot just wide.
The Dutch went into half time 1-0 up, but Koeman would undoubtedly have told his men to convert their dominance into an insurance goal.
They pressed early in the second period but still lacked penetration and the killer pass despite enjoying more than two-thirds of possession.
Spurs attacking midfielder Xavi Simons fizzed a shot agonisingly wide in the 68th minute. A weak Reijnders shot straight at Skorupski summed up the toothless Dutch attacking threat.
And they regretted their profligacy when Cash equalised with 10 minutes to go, an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box giving Bart Verbruggen no chance in the Dutch goal.
The Dutch pressed hard until the final whistle but could not unlock the Polish defence and the away fans celebrated as if they had won, as boos rang around the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam.
The Oranje had made a flawless start to qualifying before Thursday's match, dispatching Finland 2-0 and thrashing Malta 8-0.
Koeman said before the game that the Dutch were one of the top sides in Europe, with two draws against Spain in the Nations League adding weight to that claim.
Poland lost away to Finland in June and seem more likely to qualify via the play-offs behind the Dutch.
Next up for Koeman's men is a trip to Lithuania, while Poland host Finland.
O. Larsen--BTZ
