Belgium v Netherlands ratings: Hazard 5, Boyata 4; Depay 9, Blind 8

Depay brace seals thumping 4-1 win for the Dutch in Nations League

BELGIUM RATINGS: Simon Mignolet 5 – Endured a tough evening as Thibaut Courtois’ stand in. In fairness to the former Liverpool stopper, he could do little about any of the four Dutch goals. AFP

Toby Alderweireld 5 – Had one half-decent chance in front of the Dutch goal but looked very sluggish when defending his own. One to forget. EPA

Dedryck Boyata 4 – Belgium’s worst outfield player – and by some distance. He gave the ball away cheaply on several occasions, two of which directly led to Memphis Depay goals. AP

Jan Vertonghen 5 – Started off well, keeping Steven Bergwijn at bay for the first half-hour. However, it soon unravelled, and much like his former Spurs teammate, Vertonghen looked leggy as the game wore on. AP

Thomas Meunier 5 – Lacked dynamism going forward, which often left the Belgian attackers very isolated. AFP

Hans Vanaken 6 – The towering Club Brugge midfielder didn’t look out of place in and amongst the star-studded Belgian midfield. He was, however, subbed off on the hour mark. 
AFP

Axel Witsel 5 – Frequently lost possession, much to his manager’s frustration. Was hooked off after 70 minutes. 
AP

Timothy Castagne 6 – The Leicester City defender was very fortunate not to give a penalty away for handball. VAR saved his blushes in the end.
 AFP

Kevin De Bruyne 6 – Not his usual talismanic self, although he was still very much a class above his teammates. One to forget. AP

Romelu Lukaku N/A – The Chelsea forward was subbed off after just half an hour due to an injury
. AFP

Eden Hazard 5 – Another underwhelming display from the 31-year-old, who made way for Dries Mertens at half-time. AFP

SUBS: Amadou Onana (Vanaken, 45') 6 – The 20-year-old, in what was his Belgium debut, tried to do a bit too much at times. AFP

Yannick Carrasco (Meunier, 67') 7 – One of Belgium’s better performers, adding some much-needed pace and fresh legs to their XI. Reuters

Dries Mertens (Hazard, 45') 6 – Lively in the second half, but the Napoli forward picked up a silly yellow card just a minute after being subbed on. AFP

Leandro Trossard (Lukaku, 27') 5 – Struggled to get into the game after replacing the injured Lukaku. Didn’t look to be on the same wavelength as some of his teammates. EPA

Michy Batshuayi (Witsel, 67') 7 – Scored a late consolation for the hosts. His impressive late cameo should mean that he gets the nod for Belgium in their next game considering Lukaku’s injury. PA

NETHERLANDS RATINGS: Jasper Cillessen 7 – Calm and collected throughout the game, although he will feel frustrated to have lost his clean sheet in the final moments. AFP

Jurrien Timber 7 – The young Ajax defender continues to show what a class act he is. Switched on positionally, and seldom gave the ball away when passing out from the back. AFP

Virgil van Dijk 7 – The captain did pick up a cheap yellow card in the second half, but generally he was rock solid at the heart of the Dutch defence. AFP

Nathan Ake 6 – Pretty much faultless in what was a fairly simple night all-round. Looked well-suited to the back three system.
 AP

Denzel Dumfries 9 – His teammate may have stolen the show with a brace, but the Inter wing-back was supreme. The finish for his goal was simple enough, but Dumfries showed the instincts of a forward to get himself into the right position. 
EPA

Steven Berghuis 7 – Grabbed a lovely assist for Depay’s second, and generally performed well, injecting some creativity into the Dutch attack. 
AP

Frenkie de Jong 8 – Dictated the tempo of the game from deep and was often the architect of some devastating counter-attacks. Unflappable in possession. EPA

Davy Klaassen 7 – Not quite as influential as his midfield counterparts, but the former Everton man certainly played his role defensively. His work rate and tenacity made life very difficult for the Belgians. 
EPA

Daley Blind 8 – Grabbed a pair of assists from left-back, to once again demonstrate what he’s still capable of at the age of 32. He was similarly impressive defensively, helping to contain Belgium down the left channel.
 AFP

Steven Bergwijn 8 – Handed the away side a first-half lead with a searing shot from just outside the Belgian area. His link-up play with Depay was also a great sign for Dutch fans ahead of the 2022 World Cup. AFP

Memphis Depay 9 – A MOTM-worthy display from the Barcelona forward. He more than earned his brace with intelligent movement that was too much for the Belgians on this occasion. AFP

SUBS: Matthijs de Ligt (Ake, 74') 6 – Slotted nicely into the Dutch back-three for the final 15 minutes of the game. Teun Koopmeiners N/A. EPA

Memphis Depay scored a brace to help the Netherlands end a 25-year wait for success against Belgium with a 4-1 win in the Nations League in Brussels on Friday.

Steven Bergwijn and Denzel Dumfries netted the other two goals as the Dutch ended Belgium’s almost six-year unbeaten home record.

Belgium started well but quickly faded as their preparations for the World Cup began with a worrying defensive display in the absence of their first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

“Mostly we were really distracted,” Leandro Trossard said. “We gave them way too much space. When we got the ball we immediately lost it. The Netherlands have shown that they are a very strong team that can hurt everyone.”

“This is what we needed to prepare for the World Cup. It's a hard result but it's clear what we need to work on,” manager Roberto Martinez said after the heavy defeat in Brussels.

“The World Cup does not start until November but with the national team we only have 17 days to get ready. It is clear what we need to work on, we started well and found spaces. After that it became physically difficult for players.”

Romelu Lukaku endured a frustrating night, leaving the pitch after 27 minutes after getting a knock, having touched only a few balls.

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