" Wales tonight were Dealt a Setback "

Wales were dealt a setback in their preparations for Euro 2016 as they were beaten 3-2 by Netherlands in an entertaining friendly.

WALES 2 HOLLAND 3

BBC


Bas Dost headed the Dutch in front before Wales equalised as Joe Ledley struck on the rebound after Jasper Cillessen saved Joe Allen's penalty.

Arjen Robben's incisive run and shot restored Netherlands' lead but Emyr Huws' header levelled Wales again.
Dutch captain Robben had the final say as his cool finish sealed victory.
Relive Wales v Netherlands as it happened.

Arjen Robben scored his 30th international career goal
Wales had lost all seven of their previous meetings with Netherlands, conceding 21 goals and scoring just three.
And although they suffered another loss against the Oranje, a makeshift Wales team produced a creditable display against a Dutch side wounded by their failure to qualify for Euro 2016.
Wales without Bale and Ramsey



Wales were without their talismen Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey for the first time since a 2-0 friendly defeat to Netherlands in June 2014.
With Hal Robson-Kanu and David Cotterill also missing, manager Chris Coleman made five changes from October's final Euro 2016 qualifying win against Andorra as he picked a patched-up side which included a first start for Leicester forward Tom Lawrence.

Tom Lawrence is among the players looking to make strong impression in the hope of Euro 2016 inclusion
The 21-year-old Blackburn loanee started brightly, leading Wales' attack energetically and forcing Jasper Cillessen into an early save.
This game was essentially an audition for the likes of Lawrence and midfielder Jonny Williams to secure their squad places for next summer and, although the Dutch starved Wales of possession for long periods, the pair provided convincing cases for their inclusion.





" Dutch rebuilding "

Reeling from their failure to qualify for Euro 2016, Netherlands had earmarked this game as the start of a new era.
One of the casualties of manager Danny Blind's rebuilding process was record goalscorer Robin van Persie, who was left out of the squad.

Striker Bas Dost (left) joined Wolfsburg in 2012 and has scored 34 goals in 51 appearances

His replacement Dost vindicated Blind's decision after half an hour, finding space at the back post to head in from Daryl Janmaat's cross despite the sprawling efforts of Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
Netherlands looked to be taking control of the game from this point, but Wales equalised moments before half-time.
With the Dutch unable to clear a Welsh corner, Ben Davies' volley struck the arm of Terence Kongolo and referee Benoit Bastien pointed to the spot.
Allen's penalty was pushed away by Cillessen, but only as far as Ledley, who calmly side-footed the ball into the far corner.

No Bale & Ramsey. New blood and a few kids. I thought they did alright .

No Bale & Ramsey. New blood and a few kids. I thought they did alright .

Agreed. Hues Green Williams and Henley impressed me when they came on.

Just goes to show though, we gave them a good game with out ball and Ramsey. Even though Netherlands failed to qualify they're still a decent team.

Lawrence was our best player. He was playing out of position and was excellent throughout. Huws looked good when he came on. Pity we didn't sign him on loan.

Lawrence was our best player. He was playing out of position and was excellent throughout. Huws looked good when he came on. Pity we didn't sign him on loan.

Eh, out of position? I thought he was a striker by trade, although I realise that is not where he usually plays for Blackburn.

Not sure how this is a 'setback' Without three of our regulars in attack, I thought we played quite well, especially considering who we were up against. People will say that they were crap in qualifying, and that's true, but one poor campaign doesn't necessarily make a poor team. They still have a lot of quality. Ultimately, Robben was the difference, though we didn't help ourselves in terms of the defending for any of the goals, especially with Robben's two.

Completely agree Robben was the difference. I think he was injured through most of the qualifying campaign. What a difference he would have made if he was fit, they probably would have qualified.

Setback?...........................do not think so................Wales played well, Robben was the difference.

No Bale & Ramsey. New blood and a few kids. I thought they did alright .

not a Set back for me thought they played well thought it was good preparation for france as you said introduced some new kids into the game don't worry we will be ready when france comes around

I don't think it was a setback at all! Played well against a quality team while missing the 2 best players!

Setback?

We played some quality football throughout and agree robben was the difference for They're team like vice versa when bale plays.The 3rd goal was schoolboy defending though davies and collins needed to tighten up at the back when they play in the future.

I did not see a set back, I saw the future learning.