Women’s EURO 2022: How the Netherlands kept it cool after losing their advantage against Portugal – tactical analysis

While they started their second game in the Womens EURO 2022 Group C with confidence, the Netherlands had difficulties in keeping their advantage against Portugal, who surprised them and took advantage of their mistakes smartly.

A couple of early goals boosted their confidence and gave them the freedom to play their game and dominate but their opponents didn’t give up and pushed harder to get back in the game, equalising at the beginning of the second half.

A moment of brilliance from the Olympique Lyonnais star Daniëlle van de Donk late on secured them the three points as Portugal were unable to counteract, leading to the final 3-2 win for Mark Parsons’ side.

Oranje’s set-piece proficiency resulted in them gaining the advantage in the first half, with the opposition failing in their marking and allowing the Netherlands to dominate in the air. A well-executed pressing strategy was also among the reasons for their win as it often gave them the chance to retain possession in the opposition half.

In this tactical analysis, we examine both teams’ tactics and explain how the Netherlands grabbed the three points to keep their leadership in the group along with Sweden.

Lineups and formations

Mark Parsons relied on a slightly different starting eleven compared to the Netherlands game against Sweden. The goalscorer and Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema was left out of the squad after testing positive for Covid, which forced Parson to employ Juventus Lineth Beerensteyn in the centre-forward position as the team had to deal with a number of absences due to injuries and illnesses.

They played in their usual 4-2-3-1 with Daphne Van Domselaar replacing the injured for the rest of the tournament Sari van Veenendaal on the goal. The defensive line consisted of Marisa Olislagers, Dominique Janssen, Stefanie Van der Gragt and Lynn Wilms.

In midfield operated