Netherlands Learn Lessons From Narrow Victory Over Norway Ahead Of World Cup

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Netherlands edged Norway 2-1 at Johan Cruijff ArenA, yet Ronald Koeman stressed the need for improvement. Virgil van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders overturned an early deficit, extending Netherlands’ unbeaten sequence to nine matches as Koeman’s squad continued preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

The match turned after Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead on 24 minutes. Norway lacked both Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, yet still troubled Netherlands. Van Dijk headed the equaliser, before Reijnders struck the decisive goal to complete the comeback victory in Amsterdam.

Koeman highlighted the defensive lapse before Schjelderup’s opener, pointing to Ryan Gravenberch’s role in the move. The coach argued that Gravenberch offered no real pressure before the shot. Koeman accepted the win but underlined that such errors must be reduced before the World Cup.

"It was simply a good match against a strong Norway, said Koeman after the win. We shouldn't forget that either. It is a bit typically Dutch to always think that you should win here easily. The Norwegians simply have a very strong national team, and we are playing a very good match against them. Sometimes we had the upper hand and sometimes they were briefly better. But I think we deserved to win. This is a match we will get better from. We can learn from this. And we have to, because not everything went well. We gave away that goal too easily."

The game also served as a tactical test for Netherlands, with Koeman trying a different structure. Teun Koopmeiners, usually a central midfielder and sometimes centre-back for Juventus, operated as a right-winger. Koopmeiners delivered the cross for Van Dijk’s leveller and aimed to show value through versatility.

"It's not that I'm going all-in for this position [midfield] right now, but being able to play in this spot could be an asset heading into a major tournament, said Koopmeiners. You want to get minutes. I'm glad I got this chance now. I basically came in as a sort of fourth midfielder. All in all, I think it went pretty well. We managed to find the combination well a number of times."

Netherlands have not lost since March 2025, when Spain eliminated Koeman’s side on penalties in the Nations League quarter-finals. The latest victory over Norway added momentum to that run, yet Koeman’s comments showed clear focus on correcting mistakes before the World Cup later in 2026.