Netherlands and Ronald Koeman wanted a perfect final home farewell. A statement win. A morale-boosting romp through the De Kuip to send the Oranje faithful into the World Cup buzzing with belief.
Instead, he got a gut punch.
Algeria — disciplined, dangerous, and deliriously backed by a noisy travelling support — snatched a stunning 1-0 victory in Rotterdam on Wednesday night, thanks to a moment of individual brilliance that had Feyenoord’s own stadium gasping. Not for joy. For shock.
Malen’s Night to Forget
The Netherlands started like a team desperate to prove a point. Donyell Malen hit the post inside the first 10 minutes from a Tijjani Reijnders through ball, and the De Kuip crowd rose to its feet. Then Reijnders thought he had broken the deadlock, tapping in after a slick move involving debutant Crysencio Summerville — only for the offside flag to crush the celebration.
That should have been a warning sign.
Because in the 19th minute came the miss of the night. Summerville — who was having a terrific debut on the left flank — cut the ball back across goal for Malen. An empty net, essentially. Malen somehow sent it wide of the left post. The stadium let out a collective groan that could probably be heard in Amsterdam.
Cody Gakpo also threatened before the break, forcing a fine save from Algeria’s goalkeeper Luca Zidane — yes, that Zidane’s son — who was equal to everything thrown at him. A stalemate at half-time felt both fair and infuriating.
Koeman’s Gamble at Half-Time
Koeman threw the kitchen sink at the second half, making five changes at the break. Memphis Depay came on — making his return from injury — alongside Nathan Aké, Jorrel Hato, Justin Kluivert, and goalkeeper Robin Roefs, who became the second debutant of the night.
The changes briefly injected some life. Kluivert forced another Zidane save, and Malen wasted yet another opening early in the second half. Wout Weghorst came on for Gakpo to add aerial presence. The Dutch were throwing bodies forward. Algeria retreated, held firm, and waited.
Then — in the 86th minute — Anis Hadj Moussa happened.
The Goal That Broke Rotterdam
The Feyenoord winger, introduced as a second-half substitute, picked up the ball on the right side of the Dutch box. He cut inside past Jorrel Hato, steadied himself, and curled an absolutely thunderous shot into the top-left corner, well beyond the helpless Roefs.
The away end erupted. The home end went silent.
It was poetry, really. Hadj Moussa — who plays his club football at De Kuip every week — scoring his first ever international goal at his home stadium against the nation he plays in. The irony was not lost on anyone in that ground.
Algeria had registered an xG of just 0.48 all night. The Netherlands had 2.20. But football, as always, doesn’t care about your spreadsheets.
The Real Worry for Koeman
Yes, it’s a friendly. Results don’t count. Everyone will say that. But the pattern is what should concern Koeman heading into a World Cup that starts in just eight days.
The Dutch dominated possession, carved out chance after chance, and scored zero. Malen was particularly culpable, accumulating 1.12 xG on his own — and converting none of it. The absentees didn’t help either; Denzel Dumfries sat out suspended, Jurrien Timber is yet to link up fully with the squad, and Xavi Simons and Matthijs de Ligt remain sidelined through injury.
For Algeria, this is a monumental confidence boost. Vladimir Petkovic’s side — heading to their first World Cup since 2014 — are drawn in Group J against Argentina, Jordan, and Austria. On this evidence, they’re coming to North America ready to cause problems.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, fly to New York on Thursday with one more friendly against Uzbekistan before their World Cup opener against Japan on June 14. Koeman will be demanding sharper finishing. Because at this level, you rarely get 2.20 xG against Argentina. And you definitely don’t waste it.
Sort it out, Donyell.
