Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt had a game to forget for the Netherlands as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Germany in their second group match of the Nations League.
Ronald Koeman’s men started the match on a high note as Tijjani Reijnders found the back of the net just two minutes in after he was put through on goal by Ryan Gravenberch.
The Netherlands were cruising until a few minutes before the break when a costly De Ligt error handed Germany the equaliser.
The new United signing – in an attempt to play out from the back – saw his pass intercepted. This resulted in a Germany move that was finished off by striker Denis Undav.
De Ligt’s mistake angered his centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk, who punched the ground in frustration before gesturing to him in anger.
Moments later, De Ligt delved into a challenge in an effort to block another Undav effort inside his own box. The United No.4 seemingly mistimed his tackle, helping the ball to find its way to a lurking Joshua Kimmich who was all too happy to tap it in from close range.
Unsurprisingly, De Ligt was taken off at the interval and replaced by Brighton and Hove Albion’s Jan Paul van Hecke.
During the time he was on the pitch, De Ligt made two clearances and blocked as many shots. He had 24 touches of the ball to his name.
The 25-year-old successfully found his teammates with 18 of the 20 passes he attempted, managing an individual pass accuracy of 90%.
He pinged five long balls and successfully connected on all five occasions.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
During the Netherlands’ last match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, De Ligt made a big mistake that led to his side conceding. Koeman was forced to come out and issue a passionate defence of the United man but it’s slightly concerning that he produced another mistake-strewn performance in the subsequent game.
Hopefully, De Ligt puts his troubles with the national team firmly behind him as he makes his way back to England to link up with his United teammates ahead of their Premier League clash on the weekend vs. Southampton.
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