Bosnia 1-1 Netherlands Player Ratings: Hosts avoid defeat with Demirovic’s second-half equaliser

Bosnia and Herzegovina avoided ending a dreadful UEFA Nations League campaign on a sour note after pulling off a 1-1 draw against Netherlands. A second-string Dutch side dominated the proceedings from the off, with Brian Brobbey providing the breakthrough with a header of Noa Lang’s cross in the 24th minute. While it looked like another comfortable win was on the cards for the visitors, Bosnians had other ideas in the second half. The hosts amped up their intensity, pushing the Dutchmen on the backfoot. Their efforts paid off when Ermedic Demirovic headed home on the rebound after Edin Dzeko’s shot forced a save from Mark Flekken to equalise.

Bosnians had their tails up after that strike and exposed the Dutch’s defence but failed to find the winning strike. Regardless, the bottom dwellers will take this draw as a consolation, despite failing to register a single win in the group stage. Meanwhile, the Netherlands will play in the last eight of the Nations League after finishing second in their group behind Germany.

Bosnia Player Ratings vs Netherlands

Goalkeeper

Martin Zlomislic: 6/10 – Made a couple of great saves against De Vrij and Zirkzee but couldn’t do much with Brobbey’s header.

Defenders

Tarik Muheramovic: 6/10 – The Sassuolo youngster started the game well, showing a great passing range and winning aerial duels until getting beaten by Brobbey for the opener. He should have done better to deal with the Ajax forward’s header. It was his only let-off in an otherwise brilliant display

Adrian Leon Barisic: 6/10 – Held up the defence for larger spells with his physical presence. Made a great block against Brobbey’s thunderous strike inside the penalty box.

Ermin Bicacic: 5/10 – Put a good shift in the defence, winning 3 duels and making 3 clearances.

Amar Dedic: 6/10 – The Salzburg wing-back was brilliant throughout the game, winning 5 duels and also creating 1 chance. Imposed more threat on both the flanks with his fierce dribbling and ball carrying.

Midfielders

Benjamin Tahirovic: 6/10 – Despite being sloppy on a few occasions, the Ajax midfielder put in a combative performance, winning 5 duels and making 3 recoveries.

Ivan Sunjic: 6/10-Sunjic was involved in 9 defensive actions, including 5 winning duels.

Dzenis Burnic: 7/10-The left-back was arguably the catalyst for Bosnia’s comeback, showing his quality from the start to the end. His aggressive defending smothered Frimpong and he also created 2 big chances, with one of them resulting in the equaliser.

Attackers

Ermedin Demirovic: 7/10 – Ended his scoring drought with a timely header on the rebound.

Armin Gigovic: 4/10 – Failed to deal with Lang’s mastery on the right flank.

Edin Dzeko: 6/10 – Was stranded for a larger spell due to the lack of services but became more involved once Bosnia started to gain momentum. Forced an excellent save from Flekken, with Demirovic pouncing on the rebound for the equaliser.

Substitutes

Samed Bazdar: 6/10 – Made an impact straightaway by playing a big part in the equaliser.

Esmir Bajarktarevic: N/A

Ivan Basic: N/A

Luka Kulenovic: N/A

Ifet Djakovac: N/A

Manager

Sergej Barbarez: 6/10 Barbarez will be proud to see his side’s massive effort against the Dutchmen. The second half completely belonged to the Bosnians, who will be feeling unfortunate not to come away with a win despite enjoying a flurry of chances. A consoling result in an otherwise dreadful campaign.

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Netherlands Player Ratings vs Bosnia

Goalkeeper

Mark Flekken: 5/10 – Produced a good save against Dzeko but couldn’t stop Demirovic’s header on the rebound. Lost his bearings while he made a terrible pass inside the penalty box but much to his relief, no harm was done.

Defenders

Jorrel Hato: 6/10 – Produced a great cutback to Zirkzee, whose effort was saved. And also made a crucial interception against Dzeko from close range after Flekken’s erratic pass.

Matthijs de Ligt: 6/10 – Was aerially dominant, keeping Dzeko quiet for larger parts. However, he was slightly slow in tracking back the Bosnian attackers and his long-balls were off the mark.

Stefan de Vrij: 6/10 – Forced an early save from Zlomislic but was found wanting for Demirovic’s equaliser in the second half.

Jeremie Frimpong: 5/10 – Had a limited impact on the attacking front in the first half due to Bosnia players’ excellent pressing

Midfielders

Matt Wiefers: 6/10 – Dropped deep to aid the build-up and progressed the play with exceptional ball carrying. Covered a lot of grand and escaped the pressure with eye-catching half-turns.

Teun Koopmeiners: 6/10 – Always looked to play diagonal balls to switch the play and defensively he put in a lot of effort.

Joshua Zirkzee: 6/10 – Served as the main link between midfield and attack, and he excelled in that role. Came close to scoring but his shot was saved by the Bosnian keeper. Caused more problems by occupying the little pockets of space and his finesse was easy on the eyes.

Attackers

Justin Kluivert: 5/10 – Although he failed to find the scoresheet, Kluivert tried to make things happen and his footwork was excellent.

Noa Lang: 7/10 – A morale-boosting performance from the Dutch winger, who oozed class with his dribbling, passing and directness. Set up Brobbey’s header with a fine cross.

Brian Brobbey: 7/10 – Unsettled Bosnian’s defence from the very beginning with his excellent footwork. Headed home a point-blank effort and also enjoyed multiple chances. Often dropped wide to receive the ball and his passes also caught the Bosnians off guard.

Substitutes

Donyell Malen: 5/10 – Made his presence felt immediately by making some dangerous runs. Forced a save from the Bosnian keeper

Devyn Rensch: N/A

Cody Gakpo: N/A

Ryan Gravenberch: N/A

Wout Weghorst: N/A

Manager

Ronald Koeman: 5/10 – Koeman might have hoped for another easy victory from the way his side started the game – which would have been huge considering it was not his main playing 11, but he must be disappointed with how quickly the tables turned in the second half. The Dutch gaffer has to work on sustaining the possession for larger spells and avoid falling into a passive state.

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