The decisive moment at De Kuip
Hadj Moussa entered at half-time and made the difference late on. Bentaleb found him on the left channel in the 86th minute and the winger drove a left-footed shot past Robin Roefs. Roefs had replaced Bart Verbruggen at the break, but Algeria needed just two shots on target across the 90 to find the winner. Netherlands pushed in response, including bringing on Wout Weghorst for Cody Gakpo in the 81st minute. Brian Brobbey also came on at 88 minutes as Ronald Koeman went for extra presence up front.
Before the goal, the second half tilted towards the hosts in possession and territory, yet Algeria’s block held firm. The visitors made five half-time changes, freshening both flanks and the back line to manage the Dutch tempo. That reset proved useful as the game wore on and space appeared for quick counters. After four minutes of added time, the final whistle confirmed a clean away win. It was the kind of friendly that offers both managers useful notes on depth and late-game execution.
Numbers that tell the story
Netherlands led possession 53 to 47 and out-shot Algeria 17 to 8. They put 6 shots on target to Algeria’s 2 and created 3 big chances, yet finished none. Donyell Malen had 4 shots, missed 2 big chances and struck the woodwork once. Cody Gakpo added 2 shots on target and 2 key passes, while Tijjani Reijnders produced 5 key passes from midfield. The Dutch also registered 27 touches in the penalty area to Algeria’s 13 and won 6 corners to 3.
Algeria answered with sturdy defending and efficient dueling. They won 53 percent of all duels and completed 36 percent of their dribbles compared to the Netherlands’ 14 percent. Zineddine Belaid and Mohamed Tougai combined for 8 clearances as Algeria finished with 21 to the Dutch 17. The visitors relied on direct play too, completing 33 of 62 long balls, a 53 percent clip. Goalkeeping told the rest of the tale: Netherlands made 1 save, while Algeria made 6, including 2 big ones.
Standouts and Sofascore Ratings
Luca Zidane was the headline performer with a Sofascore Rating 9.5. He made 6 saves, 2 of them big stops, and recorded 9 recoveries in a composed 90 minutes. Match-winner Anis Hadj Moussa earned a Sofascore Rating 7.8 with 1 goal, 2 key passes and strong ball carrying after his introduction. Nabil Bentaleb ran midfield with a Sofascore Rating 7.7, delivering the assist and posting 56 accurate passes plus 4 interceptions. At the back, Zineddine Belaid posted a Sofascore Rating 7.5 and helped marshal the late defensive stands.
For the Netherlands, Jan Paul van Hecke topped the outfield numbers with a Sofascore Rating 7.4, completing 78 of 85 passes and making 4 clearances. Virgil van Dijk also rated 7.4 in his 45 minutes, with 4 clearances and 3 aerial wins before being replaced at half-time. Frenkie de Jong finished on Sofascore Rating 7.2 with 53 of 56 passes completed and 2 key passes. Micky van de Ven produced a strong first half at Sofascore Rating 7.2 with key defensive actions, while Gakpo ended at 7.0. On Sofascore, fans can track all those metrics along with player heat maps from this friendly.
What the managers changed
Koeman’s Netherlands started 4-3-3 and leaned on width and midfield runners, then flipped to a more direct look after the break. Half-time brought five substitutions across both sides, with the Dutch changing goalkeeper and both center-backs and Algeria refreshing both full-back roles and the front line. Later, the hosts chased the game with Weghorst and Brobbey, shifting a defender off to stack the box. The approach produced volume but not the finishing touch. Algeria’s structure absorbed pressure and kept shots to manageable zones.
Vladimir Petković’s side found value in longer distribution and second balls. That plan drew the match into their defensive rhythm, where duels, clearances and goalkeeping took center stage. When the moment arrived, Bentaleb and Hadj Moussa delivered quality in the final third. For a friendly, it offered useful data points for both squads as they fine-tune roles ahead of the next international window. It also gave Rotterdam a tight, tactical evening despite the single goal on the board.
Algeria beat Netherlands 1-0 in an international friendly at De Kuip, Rotterdam. Anis Hadj Moussa settled it in the 86th minute after a tidy assist from Nabil Bentaleb. The hosts had more of the ball and more shots, but Luca Zidane kept everything out with a standout goalkeeping display. It was a sharp, resilient away performance against a top-10 ranked side.
The decisive moment at De Kuip
Hadj Moussa entered at half-time and made the difference late on. Bentaleb found him on the left channel in the 86th minute and the winger drove a left-footed shot past Robin Roefs. Roefs had replaced Bart Verbruggen at the break, but Algeria needed just two shots on target across the 90 to find the winner. Netherlands pushed in response, including bringing on Wout Weghorst for Cody Gakpo in the 81st minute. Brian Brobbey also came on at 88 minutes as Ronald Koeman went for extra presence up front.
Before the goal, the second half tilted towards the hosts in possession and territory, yet Algeria’s block held firm. The visitors made five half-time changes, freshening both flanks and the back line to manage the Dutch tempo. That reset proved useful as the game wore on and space appeared for quick counters. After four minutes of added time, the final whistle confirmed a clean away win. It was the kind of friendly that offers both managers useful notes on depth and late-game execution.
Numbers that tell the story
Netherlands led possession 53 to 47 and out-shot Algeria 17 to 8. They put 6 shots on target to Algeria’s 2 and created 3 big chances, yet finished none. Donyell Malen had 4 shots, missed 2 big chances and struck the woodwork once. Cody Gakpo added 2 shots on target and 2 key passes, while Tijjani Reijnders produced 5 key passes from midfield. The Dutch also registered 27 touches in the penalty area to Algeria’s 13 and won 6 corners to 3.
Algeria answered with sturdy defending and efficient dueling. They won 53 percent of all duels and completed 36 percent of their dribbles compared to the Netherlands’ 14 percent. Zineddine Belaid and Mohamed Tougai combined for 8 clearances as Algeria finished with 21 to the Dutch 17. The visitors relied on direct play too, completing 33 of 62 long balls, a 53 percent clip. Goalkeeping told the rest of the tale: Netherlands made 1 save, while Algeria made 6, including 2 big ones.
Standouts and Sofascore Ratings
Luca Zidane was the headline performer with a Sofascore Rating 9.5. He made 6 saves, 2 of them big stops, and recorded 9 recoveries in a composed 90 minutes. Match-winner Anis Hadj Moussa earned a Sofascore Rating 7.8 with 1 goal, 2 key passes and strong ball carrying after his introduction. Nabil Bentaleb ran midfield with a Sofascore Rating 7.7, delivering the assist and posting 56 accurate passes plus 4 interceptions. At the back, Zineddine Belaid posted a Sofascore Rating 7.5 and helped marshal the late defensive stands.
For the Netherlands, Jan Paul van Hecke topped the outfield numbers with a Sofascore Rating 7.4, completing 78 of 85 passes and making 4 clearances. Virgil van Dijk also rated 7.4 in his 45 minutes, with 4 clearances and 3 aerial wins before being replaced at half-time. Frenkie de Jong finished on Sofascore Rating 7.2 with 53 of 56 passes completed and 2 key passes. Micky van de Ven produced a strong first half at Sofascore Rating 7.2 with key defensive actions, while Gakpo ended at 7.0. On Sofascore, fans can track all those metrics along with player heat maps from this friendly.
What the managers changed
Koeman’s Netherlands started 4-3-3 and leaned on width and midfield runners, then flipped to a more direct look after the break. Half-time brought five substitutions across both sides, with the Dutch changing goalkeeper and both center-backs and Algeria refreshing both full-back roles and the front line. Later, the hosts chased the game with Weghorst and Brobbey, shifting a defender off to stack the box. The approach produced volume but not the finishing touch. Algeria’s structure absorbed pressure and kept shots to manageable zones.
Vladimir Petković’s side found value in longer distribution and second balls. That plan drew the match into their defensive rhythm, where duels, clearances and goalkeeping took center stage. When the moment arrived, Bentaleb and Hadj Moussa delivered quality in the final third. For a friendly, it offered useful data points for both squads as they fine-tune roles ahead of the next international window. It also gave Rotterdam a tight, tactical evening despite the single goal on the board.