Amsterdam, March 24 (IANS) England spoiled Ronald Koeman’s debut as the Dutch national coach, beating the hosts 1-0 here in a contest that offered plenty of pace but was lacking in polish.

Friday’s match pitted an English side headed to the 2018 World Cup against a Dutch squad who were eliminated in the European qualifiers, reports EFE news agency.

Even so, the 50,000-seat Amsterdam Arena was full.

England dominated for most of the game and were vigorous on the attack, yet they clearly suffered from the absence of injured top striker Harry Kane.

Jordan Henderson threatened for the visitors, getting his head to a free kick by Kieran Trippier, but the ball went just outside the post.

The Netherlands’ first shot didn’t come until the 21st minute, an effort from distance by Virgil van Dijk that forced keeper Jordan Pickford to make a save.

Encouraged, the Dutch enjoyed a spell of possession before England reasserted themselves toward the end of the first half.

As the match clock neared the hour mark, England made their speed pay off, as Jesse Lingard entered the offensive zone just in time to exploit a poor clearance and fire a low, hard shot that left Dutch keeper Jeroen Zoet with no chance.

Both coaches made substitutions and the final minutes of the match brought some excitement.

England, instead of protecting the 1-0 lead, went for more and created some anxious moments for Zoet, while the hosts’ exertions at the other end didn’t unduly trouble Pickford.

–IANS
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