Spain 3-3 Netherlands [5-5 agg; 5-4 pens]: Spain through to Nations League semi-finals after dramatic penalty shoot-out

Spain edged a captivating second-leg in Valencia against the Netherlands in a match defined by penalties.

The hosts took the lead early on in the first half courtesy of a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty. The Dutch were awarded a penalty of their own in the second half, which saw Memphis Depay score his 47th goal for his country.

Oyarzabal doubled his tally in the 67th minute before an incredible strike from Ian Maatsen drew the Netherlands level once again.

In extra time, Lamine Yamal’s stunning strike was cancelled out by the Dutch’s second penalty of the evening, which was scored by Xavi Simons.

A penalty shoot-out decided the fate of the two nations and it was the European champions who came out on top, with Pedri scoring the crucial winner.

As it happened

After a thrilling 2-2 draw in Rotterdam on Thursday, Spain and the Netherlands met at the Mestalla Stadium for the second-leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie. It was the first competitive match held in Spain between the two nations since a Euro qualifier in February 1983.

La Roja got off to a perfect start as they opened the scoring in the 8th minute of the match. The hosts were gifted a penalty after a clumsy challenge from Jan Paul van Hecke on Mikel Oyarzabal, who stepped up to convert for his 14th goal on the international stage. Luis de la Fuente’s side have now scored six goals during the first 15 minutes of the first half in this season’s UEFA Nations League.

It was an electric first half from the European champions, who had plenty of chances to double their lead. In the 11th minute, Lamine Yamal skipped away from Ian Maatsen and found Oyarzabal through on goal. The Real Sociedad forward converted but his strike was ruled out by the offside flag.

Bart Verbruggen was then called upon twice to keep Ronald Koeman’s side in the tie. Dean Huijsen, making his first international start, found himself up the pitch and played a perfectly weighted pass in behind for Nico Williams. The winger drove into the penalty area but Verbruggen made himself big to block his effort. The Brighton goalkeeper denied Williams again in the 23rd minute, this time parrying away a powerful effort with his right arm.

After failing to create any chances, the Dutch were given a lifeline immediately after half time. The referee awarded a spot kick for the away side after Robin Le Normand was deemed to have pulled down Memphis Depay in the box. On his 100th appearance for the Netherlands, Depay emphatically netted the penalty into the top left corner to draw his side level.

Spain retook the lead midway through the second half after a clinical counter-attack. Nico Williams brilliantly drew away the Dutch defence and found an unmarked Oyarzabal in the penalty box. His shot was initially blocked, but it looped up kindly allowing him to head the ball into an empty net for his second of the evening.

With the score 4-3 to Spain on aggregate, the Netherlands were desperately pushing for an equaliser and found one through an unlikely source in the 79th minute. On his international debut, Ian Maatsen powerfully struck an effort across goal, past Unai Simón and into the top corner to set up a dramatic end to an enthralling encounter.

The tie headed to extra time with nothing to separate the two sides after 180 minutes of end-to-end action. In the 103rd minute, Lamine Yamal exquisitely handed Spain the lead for the third time on the night. A lofted pass from Huijsen found the teenage superstar, who chopped the ball onto his left foot and fired an effort into the far corner.

However, the Dutch seemingly refused to accept defeat. After being brought down in the box by Unai Simón, Xavi Simons won a penalty and stepped up to convert to send the match to a penalty shoot-out.

Virgil van Dijk, Teun Koopmeiners, and Xavi Simons all converted their penalties for the Netherlands, whilst Mikel Merino, Ferran Torres, and Aleix García ensured Spain remained level in the shoot-out. Noa Lang was the first to miss as his strike rattled off the crossbar but he wasn’t made to pay as Yamal missed his first penalty of his senior career.

Kenneth Taylor and Álex Baena both scored to make it 4-4 and sent it to sudden death. Unai Simón heroically saved Donyell Malen’s penalty, handing Pedri the chance to win the tie for his country. The Barcelona midfielder confidently lifted his penalty over Verbruggen to send Spain through to the semi-finals.

Spain will now play France in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League on the 5th June. La Roja are now unbeaten in their last 11 Nations League matches, winning eight, since a 2-1 loss at home to Switzerland in September 2022. Of late, the European champions’ undefeated streak stands at 18 matches.

The lineups

SPA: Simón; Cucurella, Huijsen, Le Normand, Mingueza; Ruiz, Zubimendi, Olmo; Williams, Oyarzabal, Yamal

NED: Verbruggen; Maatsen, Van Dijk, Van Hecke, Geertruida; De Jong, Reijnders; Gakpo, Kluivert, Frimpong; Depay