Spain 3 – 3 Netherlands
2nd Leg – Tied on aggregate – Spain advance 5-4 on penalties
Despite taking the lead three times — twice in regular time and once in extra time — Spain had to endure a tense penalty shootout to finally edge past the Netherlands. The thrilling encounter ended 3-3 on Sunday, leaving the aggregate score tied at 5-5 before Spain clinched a 5-4 victory on penalties to book their spot in the Nations League semifinals.
The penalty shootout was a rollercoaster in itself. Both teams missed their fourth attempts, but the decisive moment came in the sixth round when Donyell Malen’s shot was saved by Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon. Pedri then calmly slotted home the winning penalty, sparking wild celebrations among the home crowd.
Spain made a strong start, taking the lead in just the eighth minute. Jan Paul van Hecke fouled Mikel Oyarzabal inside the box, and the forward confidently converted the resulting penalty.
However, the tables turned early in the second half when Robin Le Normand brought down Memphis Depay, who made no mistake from the spot to bring the Netherlands level.
In the 67th minute, Spain once again found themselves in front. Oyarzabal completed his brace with a well-placed header after a quick counter-attack. But the Netherlands refused to back down — Ian Maatsen unleashed a powerful strike in the 79th minute to make it 2-2, pushing the match into extra time.
Extra time continued the back-and-forth drama. Spain took the lead for the third time with a stunning left-footed strike from 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal in the 103rd minute. Yet, the Dutch weren’t finished. Four minutes into the second half of extra time, Xavi Simons converted a penalty after Unai Simon committed a foul, leveling the score at 3-3 and setting the stage for a nerve-wracking shootout.
In the end, it was Spain who held their nerve, advancing 5-4 on penalties to keep their Nations League dream alive.
