Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman praised his side’s display after a 2-1 win over Norway in a World Cup warm-up match in Amsterdam, although captain Virgil van Dijk wants his team to perform better.
The Dutch recovered from an early setback to secure the win, with Van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders on the scoresheet after Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead.
Speaking after the match, Koeman was encouraged by the overall performance against strong opposition.
“This was simply a very good match from us against a very strong country,” he said.
“It is somewhat typically Dutch to think that when you play Norway, you have to beat them. That is not the case. In the qualifiers, they beat Italy twice.
“Norway also had good phases against us, but looking at the entire match, I think we deserved to win.”
The Netherlands were without several first-team regulars but still managed to control large parts of the contest, particularly after the interval.
Van Dijk, however, suggested there is still improvement needed ahead of the World Cup, which will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“There is still work to be done. In spells it went well, but at other times less so,” he said.
“I thought we were better in the second half, partly because they were a bit more tired. Ultimately, we had enough chances to score more goals. Defensively, we were also solid. We won deservedly and now we move on.”
The Dutch continue their preparations with upcoming fixtures against Ecuador and Algeria, as Koeman finalises his squad ahead of the tournament, where they will face Japan, Tunisia and either Poland or Sweden in the group stage.
