FIFA International Friendly | Wednesday, 3 June 2026 Stadion Feijenoord — De Kuip, Rotterdam | Referee: Jakob Semler (AUT)
The Netherlands had 14 shot attempts. Algeria had five. The Netherlands posted an xG of 2.20. Algeria posted 0.48. And Algeria won 1-0.
That is football. That is exactly why the World Cup is fascinating.
Anis Hadj Moussa — playing at the ground where he earns his living for Feyenoord — scored one of the goals of the pre-tournament season in the second half. A stunning strike. A goal that required no luck, no defensive mistake, no fortunate ricochet. He just hit it perfectly and Netherlands goalkeeper Verbruggen had no chance. One goal. That was all it took.
Ronald Koeman’s side were better for large parts. Donyell Malen struck the woodwork early on. Tijjani Reijnders had a goal ruled out for offside after a sharp move involving debutant Crysencio Summerville. Memphis and Gakpo combined well and caused Algeria’s backline problems throughout. The Netherlands were never really troubled defensively — Luca Zidane, Algeria’s goalkeeper and son of Zinedine, was Man of the Match — but they could not put the ball in the net. Every attempt at goal either hit the target and was saved, went wide, or found the woodwork.
Koeman is going to be lying awake thinking about those missed chances. This was the final home friendly before the World Cup and they lost it. A deeply unflattering send-off.
For Algeria, the win sends a message. They play Argentina in their opening World Cup group game on June 16. The reigning champions. Lionel Messi — reportedly nursing a fitness concern — will need to be at full sharpness if Vladimir Petkovic’s side play anything like they did in the second half here. Argentina’s camp will have noted this result.
The first half was largely the Netherlands’ story. They dominated possession, pushed Algeria into their own half and created regularly through Malen and Gakpo in wide areas. Reijnders was excellent in midfield — sharp in his passing, direct in his running. Gravenberch protected the backline. Algeria sat in a compact 4-2-3-1 and tried to limit the damage. For most of the first 45 minutes, they succeeded. Mahrez showed flashes of quality when Algeria had the ball going forward but the supply was limited. Gouiri worked hard up front without much end product.
Half-time: 0-0. The Dutch had been the better side but nothing to show for it.
The second half changed everything. Petkovic made six substitutions — managing workloads, testing combinations, getting bodies fresh ahead of the tournament. That mass of changes shifted the momentum. Algeria grew into the game and started finding more joy between the Netherlands’ lines.
Then came the goal.
Hadj Moussa picked up the ball in a half-space 25 yards from goal. Took one touch to set himself. Looked up. Hit it with his right foot — clean, hard, curling — and it flew into the top corner past a helpless Verbruggen. De Kuip went briefly stunned. The Algeria bench went wild. The travelling support, small in number, made more noise than anyone.
This was the first-ever meeting between the Netherlands and Algeria in a senior international. You do not often see the 7th-ranked team in the world lose to the 28th-ranked team while outshooting them 14-5. It happened today.
Koeman brought on De Roon, Koopmeiners, Quinten Timber and Geertruida in the second half. The Dutch pushed for an equaliser. Kluivert — on as a substitute — cut inside from the left, got the ball back to Memphis and tried a return pass from a tight angle, stabbing wide when he should have done better. Gakpo and Memphis kept linking but the final action was missing. Algeria’s defence, organised and disciplined, held firm.
Luca Zidane — the 26-year-old goalkeeper who has been building his career quietly at Nice — made five saves in total. Some of them were routine. Two or three were genuinely outstanding. His father Zinedine must have watched this with some pride.
The Netherlands leave for the United States knowing their final warm-up will be against Uzbekistan. They are in a tough group — France, Brazil and one other awaiting them. Koeman will demand a ruthless response in front of goal when it truly matters.
Algeria head to Kansas City for one more warm-up against Bolivia before the tournament starts. After tonight’s result, they go with belief. Real belief.
For live World Cup scores and international football coverage, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full squads, fixtures and group tables at the official FIFA World Cup website.
Netherlands 0-1 Algeria FIFA International Friendly | Wednesday, 3 June 2026 Stadion Feijenoord — De Kuip, Rotterdam | Referee: Jakob Semler (AUT)
Goal: Anis Hadj Moussa (Algeria, second half)
Netherlands (4-3-3): Verbruggen; Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven, Wieffer; De Jong, Reijnders, Gravenberch; Malen, Summerville, Gakpo Subs used: De Roon, Koopmeiners, Quinten Timber, Geertruida, Kluivert, Memphis
Algeria (4-2-3-1): Luca Zidane; Belghali, Mandi, Bensebaini, Ait-Nouri; Aouar, Zerrouki; Mahrez, Maza, Chaibi; Gouiri Subs used: Hadj Moussa, Bentaleb, Benbouali, Boulbina, Amoura
Stats: Possession NED 49.6% — ALG 50.4% | Shots on Goal 5-1 | Attempts 14-5 | Corners 6-3 | Saves 1-5 | xG NED 2.20 — ALG 0.48 | Half-time 0-0
