Koopmeiners' brilliance leads Netherlands past Serbia 2-1

Teun Koopmeiners delivered a standout performance for the Netherlands in their win against Serbia. The Juventus player, unexpectedly deployed by coach Xavi as a central defender alongside Virgil van Dijk, scored against Serbia and finished the 90 minutes with strong playmaking statistics, earning a 7.9 rating from Sofascore.

The Dutch coach's tactical choice was only nominally defensive. With the ball, Koopmeiners moved into midfield, sometimes advancing further forward, creating a formation close to a 3-4-3.

Koopmeiners breaks deadlock with a free-kick

The Bianconeri player opened the scoring. As the Netherlands' tempo began to slow, Koopmeiners scored with an in-swinging free-kick that went directly into the net.

Serbia equalized through Mihajlo Cvetkovic, who headed in a cross from Aleksa Terzic. This goal highlighted the risks of Koopmeiners' advanced role, as the young Serbian was left unmarked to score.

Cvetkovic continued to trouble the Juventus player in the second half, beating him with a feint before shooting wide.

Zirkzee seals the Dutch victory

The Netherlands struggled to convert possession into clear chances, prompting Xavi to make substitutions. Joshua Zirkzee, who came on for Mexx Meerdink, scored the decisive goal in the 72nd minute.

After a driven cross from Dumfries, Reijnders kept the ball alive at the far post, and Zirkzee found the net, securing the win for the Dutch.

Koopmeiners had another opportunity later but couldn't beat Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

Koopmeiners: 93% passing accuracy

Beyond his goal, Koopmeiners' involvement in the Dutch attack was significant. In 90 minutes, he touched the ball 92 times, completing 71 out of 76 passes for 93% accuracy.

His passing accuracy in the opponent's half was also 93% (41 completed out of 44), rising to 94% in his own half (30 completed out of 32).

The Juventus player also created 3 key passes and completed 3 out of 6 crosses.

Three shots on target and four defensive interventions

His offensive presence was notable: Koopmeiners took 3 shots, all on target, with an xG of 0.21 and xGOT of 0.82.

Defensively, he made 4 interventions and 4 recoveries, winning one ground duel out of four and two aerial duels out of three. He lost possession eight times and was dribbled past twice.

Overall, it was a strong performance, validated by his 7.9 Sofascore rating, in a match where Koopmeiners played a unique role, balancing central defense with attacking contributions.