Dominating is not always winning. The Netherlands will be able to remember this saying again since they were beaten at home this Wednesday by an Algeria as valiant as they were efficient (0-1). The Fennecs were able to resist, particularly in the first period, before finding the fault at the end of the match through Anis Hadj Moussa.
In full preparation for the 2026 World Cup, the two nations played the first of their last two preparatory matches this evening. And before challenging Bolivia on June 10, the Algerians scored a victory which will do them good.
A success all the more appreciable for the Fennecs as the Dutch remained on a good series of eleven matches without the slightest defeat. However, it was the Oranje who dominated the game for a long time. Although they touched the ball less than their opponents during the first act (48%), they shot four times more. But their four shots on target (out of eight) resulted in nothing.
Hadj Moussa offers victory to the Fennecs
With just one adjusted shot before the break, the Fennecs especially defended diligently. Entering the restart, Hadj Moussa turned into the hero of the day on the Algerian side. On a counter and well launched by a Nabil Bentaleb selected for the World Cup after a good year in Lille, the Feyenoord striker found the fault on a fabulous cross shot from the left which cleared the top corner of Bart Verbruggen’s cage (0-1, 86th).
Final victory and good evening for Vladimir Petkovic’s men whose menu will be copious in the first round of the World Cup. It will be Argentina first (June 17), then Jordan (June 23) and finally Austria (June 28). For the Netherlands, there will be a final friendly match against Uzbekistan (June 8), before a first World Cup match against Japan (June 14), followed by Sweden (June 20) and Tunisia (June 26).
