On 20 November 2018, Virgil van Dijk delivered the decisive late moment in Gelsenkirchen as the Netherlands fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Germany and reach the Nations League semi-finals.
The Liverpool defender volleyed in a cross in added time after Quincy Promes had pulled one back in the 85th minute. The Dutch had trailed early after Timo Werner and Leroy Sane put Germany 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes, but they recovered with two goals in the closing stages to finish above France and Germany in Group One.
Van Dijk described the result as "a fantastic feeling" and said the squad deserved credit for the way it responded under pressure. "We should all be proud of ourselves. I know I am," he said. "We worked so hard every game and to get rewards for that is fantastic."
The Netherlands captain also pointed to the bigger picture, saying the team’s main target remained qualification for Euro 2020 after missing out on Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup. "If we can win the Nations League, fantastic, but we all want to make sure we're at the European Championships and do very well there to make our country proud," he added.
Head coach Ronald Koeman said his side had not produced their best football, but praised their response after a difficult first half. "It was very difficult for us, the Germans were sharper and faster in the first half," he admitted. "We fought to come back in the second half and pressed."
Koeman added that the late turnaround was built on belief rather than dominance. "They had their chances to finish it off, but the fight and belief we showed was enough for the point," he said. "We didn't play great football, it wasn't our best performance, but it was enough."
Germany, meanwhile, were left to reflect on another damaging result in a difficult year. Coach Joachim Loew said his young side had failed to close out the match after leading comfortably for most of the evening. "That's the price you pay for having a young side, we have to learn to close a game down," he said.
Loew, who started only three 2014 World Cup winners in Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer, said the final minutes would need close review. "This is a learning experience for us and we will have to analyse our performance in the last 10 minutes," he said.
Thomas Mueller reached 100 Germany appearances as a second-half substitute, while Manchester City winger Leroy Sane stood out despite the collapse. Sane said the result was "annoying" and admitted Germany should have killed the game off. Werner, who ended an eight-game goal drought, made the same point after the final whistle.
The draw capped a miserable 2018 for Germany, who had already exited the World Cup at the bottom of their group and were relegated to League B in the Nations League. They also recorded six defeats in the last 12 months, a run that underlined the scale of their decline after winning the 2014 World Cup. Loew remains under contract until the 2022 World Cup and said he still believed the team was moving in the right direction.
"It's been a very disappointing year after the World Cup didn't go the way we wanted it to," Loew said. "However, I have the feeling we are on a good path with these players and will be successful again with this young team."
