In their second Nations League group meeting, Germany held the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw, making it a forgettable outing for Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Just two minutes into the game, Tijjani Reijnders scored the game’s first goal for Ronald Koeman’s team after Ryan Gravenberch placed him through on goal.
Matthijs de Ligt made another mistake, extending his awful international break.
The Dutch defender gave Germany possession inadvertently, which allowed them to score.
Before the half, the Netherlands were leading 1-0 when Germany equalised through a costly mistake by De Ligt.
In an attempt to play out from the back, the recent United signing’s pass was intercepted. Germany then made a move, which striker Denis Undav completed.
De Ligt’s mistake angered his centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk, who punched the ground in frustration before gesturing to him in anger.
Moments later, De Ligt delved into a challenge in an effort to block another Undav effort inside his own box. The United No.4 seemingly mistimed his tackle, helping the ball to find its way to a lurking Joshua Kimmich who was all too happy to tap it in from close range.
It should come as no surprise when Jan Paul van Hecke of Brighton & Hove Albion replaced De Ligt at halftime.
De Ligt made two clearances and blocked two shots in his time on the pitch. He had accumulated 24 ball touches.
With 18 of the 20 passes he attempted, the 25-year-old found his teammates with success, achieving a 90% accuracy rate on individual passes.
He effectively connected on all five of his attempts to pin down long balls.
(Figures sourced from Sofascore)
De Ligt made a crucial mistake in the Netherlands’ most recent match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to a goal conceded. Koeman was forced to officially support the United player, but it’s concerning that he seemed awkward in the following game as well.
In order to be ready for United’s Premier League showdown against Southampton this coming weekend, De Ligt is hoping to move over his problems with the national team upon his return to England.