Netherlands vs England: Reliving 5 Classic Clashes Between the Sides Ahead of Nations League Finals

England and the Netherlands will face off in the Nations League semi-finals on Thursday. There have been some highly entertaining matches between the two sides

England and the Netherlands will face off in the Nations League semi-finals on Thursday.

There have been some highly entertaining matches between the two sides in the past and historically this fixture has been closely contested, with each team winning six meetings and nine of the fixtures ending in draws.

With the Nations League semi-final on the horizon, here's a look at five classic clashes between England and the Netherlands.

England 4-1 Netherlands (June 1996)

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The meeting between England and the Netherlands at Euro 1996 was England's best tournament performance since the 1966 World Cup. 

Roared on by a passionate home crowd at the old Wembley Stadium, England dismantled a star-studded Dutch side.

Some of the inter-play and passing between the England players was mesmeric and ironically reminiscent of the 'Total Football' that Dutch sides had been such great exponents of in the 1970s and 80s. 

Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham both scored braces as the Netherlands struggled to cope with movement and intelligence of the Three Lions' forward players.

Patrick Kluivert scored a late consolation for the Netherlands in a game that has gone down as one of England's greatest ever.

England 2-3 Netherlands (February 2012)

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The two sides faced off in a friendly at Wembley Stadium in England's first game following the sudden resignation of Fabio Capello.

Stuart Pearce was appointed as caretaker manager and to the surprise of many he appointed Scott Parker as captain (this would be Parker's only game as England skipper) ahead of Steven Gerrard.

A brilliant solo goal from Arjen Robben gave the Netherlands the lead early in the second half before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar doubled their advantage with an excellent header.

Gary Cahill's composed finish brought England back into game before Ashley Young chipped Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg to level proceedings late on.

England thought they had rescued a draw when Robben curled the ball into the far corner to win the game for the Netherlands.

England 2-2 Netherlands (April 1993)

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England faced the Netherlands at Wembley in this World Cup qualification match. The Three Lions had won three of their first four qualifiers heading into this game.

England made a fast start, with John Barnes scoring a brilliant free-kick with just two minutes on the clock. The home side added a second when Les Ferdinand's shot rebounded off the post for David Platt to tap-in.

Just over ten minutes later, future Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp halved the deficit with a brilliant hooked, first-time volley.

Late on, Des Walker fouled Marc Overmars in the penalty area after the Dutchman had made a surging run into the box. Peter van Vossen coolly slotted in the spot-kick to grasp a point for the visitors in a game which would later prove costly for England, as they failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

4. Netherlands 2-2 England (August 2009)

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Another classic match between the sides in a friendly match took place here at the Johan Cruyff ArenA. 

The Netherlands took the lead early on after a dreadful mistake by Rio Ferdinand when he under-hit a back-pass to Robert Green, allowing Dirk Kuyt to round the goalkeeper and score.

The home side doubled their lead following another England mistake, this time Glen Johnson gave the ball away to Arjen Robben in a dangerous area. Robben had his shot saved by Green but Rafael Van der Vaart was there to tap in the rebound.

Jermain Defoe came off the bench at half-time and made an almost-instant impact, timing his run to perfection to stay on-side when he received Frank Lampard's pass before racing clear and calmly chipping the ball past Stekelenburg.

England equalised late on when James Milner made an excellent run down the left flank and put in a low cross for Jermain Defoe to tap-in from close range. 

5. England 2-2 Netherlands (March 1988)

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England and the Netherlands played out a dramatic draw at Wembley just months before the start of Euro 88, where the two sides would meet again.

Gary Lineker gave England the lead after 13 minutes when he flicked the ball in following Gary Stevens' wonderful long pass.

The away side equalised shortly afterwards when Tony Adams inadvertently put the ball into his own net from Jan Wouters' cross.

The Netherlands turned the game around when John Bosman intelligently guided a header into the net.

In the second half Adams atoned for his own goal by equalising for England when he headed in from Trevor Steven's free-kick.