Spain oust Netherlands on penalties to reach Nations League semis
VALENCIA, Spain: Nations League holders Spain reached the final four with a 5-4 win on penalties against the Netherlands, after a thrilling 3-3 quarter-final second leg draw on Sunday (5-5 on aggregate). Donyell Malen missed and Barcelona’s Pedri slotted home to settle a gripping match in which the Netherlands came from behind three times to force the shoot-out. Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for Spain but Memphis Depay levelled from the penalty spot. Oyarzabal grabbed Spain’s second before Ian Maatsen rifled home to force extra-time. Barcelona starlet Yamal, who also missed a penalty in the shoot-out, scored a brilliant goal to put Spain ahead but Xavi Simons netted another spot-kick to force penalties. After Spain’s struggles in Rotterdam on Thursday in the 2-2 first-leg draw, coach Luis de la Fuente made a handful of changes. Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo came in for Alvaro Morata and Pedri, while Dean Huijsen made his first start, against the country of his birth, and excelled. Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman brought in debutant Maatsen at left-back, giving him the unenviable challenge of shackling 17-year-old prodigy Yamal at Valencia’s sold-out Mestalla stadium. Spain’s success in recent years has inspired their supporters and over 20,000 watched them train ahead of the second leg, which also served as a fundraiser for damage caused by the devastating storms which hit the Valencia region last October. They won a penalty early on when Jan Paul van Hecke clumsily brought down Oyarzabal, who scored the winning goal for La Roja in the Euro 2024 final last summer. The Real Sociedad forward took it himself, smashing into the bottom right corner, past Bart Verbruggen’s dive. Oyarzabal beat the Brighton goalkeeper again a
