Nations League
Boskamp praises Xavi Hernández’s the Oranje after Nations League duel
Jan Boskamp enjoyed watching the Nations League duel between the Netherlands and Germany, in which both countries let their new national team coaches speak for the first time and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
New national team coaches and first impression
The two nations started Thursday evening under the guidance of their fresh coaches, but Boskamp saw little difference between the sides in the first half. He noted that the match was still evenly contested and that the quality of both squads was high.
After the break, Boskamp was especially impressed by the team of Xavi Hernández, who, in his view, brought a fresh dynamism. He felt that the Netherlands played better after the interval and showed more control.
"They were both good. It was a fantastic match with two teams that wanted to play football," Boskamp says about the debut of Xavi Hernández and Jürgen Klopp. "The first half was still evenly contested, but after the break I thought the Netherlands were better," he adds.
Belgium celebrates Van Bommel's debut while Netherlands watches jealously
Late equaliser and compliments
The late equaliser by Cody Gakpo, stemming from an excellent cross by Ruben van Bommel in injury time, impressed Boskamp greatly. He praised both Van Bommel's assist and Gakpo's finish as "grandiose".
"The way they scored that equaliser in injury time was grandiose. Both Van Bommel's assist and Gakpo's finish," Boskamp emphasizes.
Mark Van Bommel's debut opens door for Belgium after Italy win
Finally, Boskamp enjoyed the fresh breeze that new national team coaches are bringing in various European countries, and he compares the enthusiasm to that of Belgium, which he has also appreciated.