VALENCIA, Spain: Nations League holders Spain reached the final four with a 5-4 win on penalties against the Netherlands, after a thrilling 3-3 quarter-final second leg draw on Sunday (5-5 on aggregate).
Donyell Malen missed and Barcelona’s Pedri slotted home to settle a gripping match in which the Netherlands came from behind three times to force the shoot-out.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for Spain but Memphis Depay levelled from the penalty spot.
Oyarzabal grabbed Spain’s second before Ian Maatsen rifled home to force extra-time.
Barcelona starlet Yamal, who also missed a penalty in the shoot-out, scored a brilliant goal to put Spain ahead but Xavi Simons netted another spot-kick to force penalties.
After Spain’s struggles in Rotterdam on Thursday in the 2-2 first-leg draw, coach Luis de la Fuente made a handful of changes.
Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo came in for Alvaro Morata and Pedri, while Dean Huijsen made his first start, against the country of his birth, and excelled.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman brought in debutant Maatsen at left-back, giving him the unenviable challenge of shackling 17-year-old prodigy Yamal at Valencia’s sold-out Mestalla stadium.
Spain’s success in recent years has inspired their supporters and over 20,000 watched them train ahead of the second leg, which also served as a fundraiser for damage caused by the devastating storms which hit the Valencia region last October.
They won a penalty early on when Jan Paul van Hecke clumsily brought down Oyarzabal, who scored the winning goal for La Roja in the Euro 2024 final last summer.
The Real Sociedad forward took it himself, smashing into the bottom right corner, past Bart Verbruggen’s dive.
Oyarzabal beat the Brighton goalkeeper again a few minutes later with another lethal finish but had strayed offside after a superb dribble by Yamal in the build-up.
Verbruggen denied Nico Williams with a superb stop, after Huijsen stormed forward and slipped the winger in down the left, with Spain rampant but unable to add to their lead in the first half.
Bournemouth center-back Huijsen, 19, was jeered by the traveling Dutch fans, upset he did not choose to play for them, but Spain supporters backed him in response and he shone.
Netherlands steadied the ship and were able to keep more possession, but not test Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon until after the break.
Koeman’s side levelled after 54 minutes with a penalty of their own when Depay, on his 100th Oranje appearance, threw himself to the ground after tussling with Robin Le Normand.
Despite the hosts’ protests the contentious decision stood and Depay blasted home from the spot.
Spain’s dynamic wingers helped restore their lead with a razor-sharp counter-attack.
Yamal released Williams, who drove into the box and slipped the ball to Oyarzabal. Although Verbruggen saved his attempted dink, the Spaniard headed home the rebound.
Netherlands responded swiftly, capitalizing when Olmo gave the ball away inside his area.
Substitute Simons slipped a clever pass to Maatsen on the left and the Aston Villa defender brilliantly rifled into the top corner to force extra-time.
De la Fuente sent on Pedri and Arsenal’s Mikel Merino, who salvaged Spain a draw in the first leg, and his team took the lead after 103 minutes.
Huijsen lofted the ball into Yamal’s path and the winger controlled it on the run and beat Maatsen before pulling off an exquisite finish.
The Dutch battled back for a third time, with Simons winning and converting a penalty in the 109th minute. Spain goalkeeper Simon brought down the RB Leipzig attacker, who made no mistake from the spot.
Simon made amends with a smart save in the 120th minute to deny Donyell Malen, taking the tie to a shoot-out.
Both sides netted their first three penalties with great precision, before Netherlands’ Lang hit the crossbar and Verbruggen saved a tame Yamal effort.
In sudden death Simon dived to his left to save from Malen and Pedri coolly sent Spain through to the semis.
Spain oust Netherlands on penalties to reach Nations League semis
https://arab.news/2q3k8
Spain oust Netherlands on penalties to reach Nations League semis
- Spain’s dynamic wingers helped restore their lead with a razor-sharp counter-attack
T20 cricket set to dominate game’s landscape in 2026
- Inexorable rise of one of sport’s controlling forces
Following the end of the Ashes series in Australia, it has not taken long for cricket’s longest format — Test cricket — to be overwhelmed by the T20 format.
Apart from the 50-over Under-19s World Cup taking place in Namibia, it seems that, wherever one turns, there are only T20 tournaments.
Two explanations for this situation are the looming ICC Men’s and Women’s World Cups. The men’s event, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, starts on Feb. 7, while the women’s tournament starts on June 12 in England.
The women’s event will comprise 12 teams, the largest number ever, of which eight have qualified already. The other four will emerge from 10 teams competing in a qualifying tournament in Nepal. This began on Jan. 18 and will end on Feb. 1. The teams have been divided into two groups of five and will play each other once. Group A comprises Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and the US, with the Netherlands, Nepal, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe in Group B. The top three teams will qualify for the Super Six stage in which the three teams from Group A will play the three teams from Group B. Points earned against the other two qualifying teams from each group are carried forward. The top four teams at the end of the Super Six will qualify for the World Cup in June.
The four highest-ranked teams in the competition are Ireland, Bangladesh, Scotland and Thailand. They are expected to progress to the Super Sixes but it remains to be seen if each of them will reach the main event in June. Thailand will probably face tough challenges against Ireland and Bangladesh in the Super Six stage. The Thai team are in good form, having triumphed in the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy and won double gold medals in the women’s cricket competitions in the SE Asia Games at the end of 2025. This form has continued into the tournament with victories over Nepal and Zimbabwe, but sterner tests lie ahead.
Players who are squad members of teams who have qualified for the World Cup are warming up in different ways. A number are currently involved in India’s Women’s Premier League, which is halfway into its schedule and will conclude on Feb. 5. In New Zealand, the Women’s Super Smash concludes on Jan. 31, while in South Africa the CSA Women’s Pro20 will resume on Feb. 8. There are upcoming bilateral tours by India to Australia in late February, Pakistan to South Africa in February, Zimbabwe to New Zealand in March, followed by South Africa. No doubt other matches will be arranged once the identity of the final four qualifying teams is known. Immediately prior to the World Cup, formal warm-up matches will take place at three venues in England and Wales.
The need for preparation is even more pressing for those involved in the men’s T20 World Cup, which comprises 20 teams. The Big Bash League in Australia allows four overseas players in each 18-man squad. In 2025/26, English players represent the bulk of non-Australian players, followed by players from Pakistan and New Zealand. The South African World Cup players are fully engaged in SA20, in which 19-man squads are allowed to contain seven overseas players, four of whom can be selected for a playing 11. English players are well represented. The Bangladesh Premier League will conclude on Jan. 23. Indian players with central contracts are not allowed to participate in franchise leagues outside India. Their World Cup players will feature in a T20 series against New Zealand that started on Jan. 21 in Nagpur. It followed an ODI series which was won by New Zealand. England start a three-match T20 series against Sri Lanka on Jan. 30, following three ODIs.
Outside of the leading countries, it can be difficult for players and teams to gain enough game-time preparation. Some of the UAE players participated in the DP World ILT20. Their next international action is a two-match series on Jan. 29 and 31 against Ireland in Dubai, where Afghanistan currently have a three-match T20 series against the West Indies, who then play a series against South Africa. Ireland will remain in Dubai where they will play three T20 matches against Italy, who are making their first appearance in a World Cup.
Australia will visit Pakistan and play three T20 matches. Teams such as the US, Canada, Oman, Nepal, Namibia and the Netherlands appear to have limited match preparation opportunities.
At least they do not face the uncertainties of Bangladesh. In early January, in a further example of the use of cricket as a political weapon, the Indian authorities excluded the Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League, amid rising tensions between the two countries. Rahman had been bought at auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, which is owned by Shah Rukh Khan, the Indian actor and film producer, who was born into a Muslim family. Following this decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board requested that the International Cricket Council move matches involving Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup out of India, citing the “safety and well-being of the players.”
Discussions ensued between the parties. Independent security assessments were commissioned by the ICC, along with comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities. These were shared with the BCB. All assessments consistently concluded that “there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.” On Jan. 17, the BCB suggested a swap of their matches with those of Ireland, whose group matches are to be played in Sri Lanka. The suggestion was rejected. At an emergency meeting of the ICC’s board on Jan. 21, 14 out of the 16 members voted against Bangladesh’s request. It is assumed that, apart from Bangladesh, the other vote in favour was from Pakistan.
It appears that the BCB’s attempt at a hardline stance has backfired. It must now either accept to play in India or withdraw from the competition, with significant loss of face either way. If it withdraws, a replacement team need to be introduced. The next-best-ranked T20I team are Scotland, who will have even less time to prepare than the other 19 teams.
Once again, a major international tournament has been disrupted by geopolitics. It is also the case that, once again, almost everyone has fallen in behind the combined power of the ICC and the Indian board. This stranglehold and the inexorable rise of T20 cricket are now undoubtedly the controlling forces shaping cricket’s future landscape.
