Croatia and Spain will battle it out to win the UEFA Nations League in Rotterdam on Sunday.
Italy saw off a lackluster Dutch side to finish third in the Nations League.
Roberto Mancini’s side went ahead after just six minutes when Federico Dimarco fired into the top corner with a powerful left-footed shot from the corner of the box following a well-set move by the Italians.
Davide Frattesi then doubled that advantage by slotting home an unmarked shot from six yards after Wilfried Gnont’s shot had deflected into his path.
A comeback appeared to be on the cards for the Dutch when substitute Steven Bergwijn turned home to halve the deficit with 22 minutes remaining.
But Federico Chiesa finished Italy’s blistering counter-attack into the bottom corner after driving past Virgil van Dijk inside the box to put the result beyond doubt, despite a late consolation from Gini Wijnaldum for the Netherlands.
Ronald Koeman has lost three of his four games in charge of the Netherlands since his return, conceding three or more goals in three of those games.
Netherlands player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Justin Bijlow – 4/10 – Didn’t command his box very well and was powerless against some of the finishes.
RB: Denzel Dumfries – 5/10 – Caught very high up the pitch when Italy countered. Few shots that didn’t trouble Donnarumma.
CB: Lutsharel Geertruida – 2/10 – Should have jogged back up to meet his defensive line but ended up playing Frattesi onside for the second goal. Subbed off at halt time.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 4/10 – Some nice long balls forward but couldn’t organise his erratic teammates and didn’t do enough to stop Chiesa from netting Italy’s third.
LB: Nathan Ake – 6/10 – Showed for the ball often as one of the Netherlands’ better passers on the day. Was clever in dealing with Gnonto’s pace.
CM: Mats Wieffer – 5/10 – Some good grafting but not a massive influence in the Dutch midfield.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – 6/10 – A few twirls caught the eye but was rushed in possession by some good Italian pressing.
CM: Xavi Simons – 5/10 – Buzzed around and had some nice moments on the half-turn, poking a few passes through for Gakpo to chase.
RW: Donyell Malen – 4/10 – Part of a rather ineffective forward line in the first half that failed to test the Italian backline. Off at half time.
ST: Cody Gakpo – 6/10 – Quiet first half though chances started to mount up before the hour mark. Definitely brighter in the second half and should have taken one of thoise opportunities.
LW: Noa Lang – 4/10 – Very minimal impact, aside from some nice dribbling towards the end of the first half.
Substitutes
Wout Weghorst (46′ for Lang) – 5/10 – Came on and threw hit wait around, scoring a goal that was chalked off for offside. Gave some verbals in a losing effort.
Georginio Wijnaldum (46′ for Geertruida) – 7/10 – Arrived nicely into the box to convert late on but couldn’t drag his side level.
Steven Bergwijn (46′ for Malen) – 7/10 – Some great driving runs added some spark to the Dutch forward line and took his goal smartly.
Teun Koopmeiners (63′ for Simons) – 5/10 – Dropped from the starting XI and didn’t make much of an impact from the bench.
Joey Veerman (76′ for Wieffer) – 7/10 – Lovely pass was well controlled and finished off by Wijnaldum.
Subs not used: Marten de Roon, Daley Blind, Jurrien Timber, Sven Botman, Tyrell Malacia, Andries Noppert, Mark Flekken.
Manager
Ronald Koeman – 4/10 – His side were again horrendously messy in defence and recent history suggests that is a problem that won’t be fixed any time soon.
Italy player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7/10 – Made himself big in important scenarios with a few vital saves. Commanded his box well and claimed the ball often.
RB: Rafael Toloi – 6/10 – A little more reserved on the right compared to the adventurous Dimarco but was solid enough.
CB: Francesco Acerbi – 7/10 – Had another good outing, making the right judgement call each time the Netherlands tried to break forward.
CB: Alessandro Buongiorno – 7/10 – Didn’t make any rash challenges alongside the more aggressive Acerbi.
LB: Federico Dimarco – 8/10 – Finished brilliantly early on to put Italy on top. Booked later on as part of a fiery display and looked dangerous whenever he went forward, albeit being afforded a lot of space by the Dutch.
CM: Davide Frattesi – 8/10 – Got into the box and finished well for his first national team goal to put Italy in command before sending Chiesa on his way with an assist in the second half.
CM: Bryan Cristante – 6/10 – A bit sloppier on the ball compared to Frattesi and Verratti.
CM: Marco Verratti – 7/10 – Definitely toed the line tightly with some rash challenges but somehow came through without a yellow card.
RW: Wilfried Gnonto – 6/10 – Mishit shot bounced its way to Frattesi. Probably didn’t get as many chances to stretch his legs as he might have wanted.
ST: Mateo Retegui – 6/10 – Sent a few snapshots into the crowd, but his missed attempt of a scissor kick did lead to Italy’s first goal.
LW: Giacomo Raspadori – 7/10 – Involved in Italy’s more fast-moving counters and displayed a nice weight of pass.
Substitutes
Federico Chiesa (63′ for Raspadori) – 7/10 – Showed good pace on the counter and wasn’t intimidated by Van Dijk to score Italy’s third.
Nicolo Zaniolo (64′ for Gnonto) – 5/10
Leonardo Spinazzola (74′ for Dimarco) – 6/10
Lorenzo Pellegrini (85′ for Retegui) – N/A
Nicolo Barella (85′ for Verratti) – N/A
Subs not used: Ciro Immobile, Jorginho, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Matteo Darmian, Alex Meret, Guglielmo Vicario.
Manager
Roberto Mancini – 7/10 – Saw his side pick the Netherlands apart in the first half, though how the Dutch came back into the game would have displeased Mancini.