Netherlands’ loss to Algeria a pre-World Cup wake-up call, says Koeman
Soccer Football – International Friendly – Netherlands v Algeria – De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands – June 3, 2026 Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman reacts REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 4 : The Netherlands’ 1-0 home defeat by Algeria in their World Cup warm-up on Wednesday was a wake-up call before they head to the U.S. for next week’s tournament start, coach Ronald Koeman said.
The North Africans snatched a late winner on the eve of the Dutch squad’s departure for New York, where they have another friendly against World Cup debutants Uzbekistan on Monday.
“I absolutely hate losing; this was a match we should have won,” a frustrated Koeman said. “We have to win these kinds of home matches; our (ranking) position demands it.”
Koeman felt the eighth-ranked Dutch dominated the opening 25 minutes against fellow World Cup qualifiers Algeria and had several good chances but then let matters slip.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
“Because you don’t put the game to bed within those first 25 minutes, you end up playing against yourselves,” Koeman said.
“If you get four or five clear chances, you have to score. And even if that doesn’t happen, it shouldn’t become a problem.
“But after that, we started making things more difficult for ourselves. At times we lacked aggression and were simply too nice.”
Algeria’s Feyenoord winger Anis Hadj Moussa, playing on his home ground, netted the winner four minutes from time to dampen the Dutch squad’s mood ahead of their departure on Thursday.
Asked if it was better to suffer a defeat in the build-up rather than at the World Cup, Koeman replied, “No”.
“Winning always gives you a certain feeling. Losing is simply bad. We certainly don’t need to panic now, but we do need to dot the i’s and cross the t’s again. You could call it a wake-up call,” he said.
The Netherlands face Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in group F at the finals.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Source: Reuters
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
