The Netherlands suffered a rude awakening just over a week before of the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/fifa-world-cup-2026-four-months-to-go-for-historic-football-tournament-in-north-america-23616290" rel="nofollow">FIFA World Cup</a>, slumping to a shock 0-1 loss against Algeria here on Wednesday. &nbsp;
Anis Hadj Moussa struck a late winner for the Algerians to leave Dutch coach Ronald Koeman fuming with the result.
&ldquo;I absolutely hate losing; this was a match we should have won. We have to win these kind of home matches; our ranking [seventh] demands it,&rdquo; said a furious Koeman.
<img title="Ronald Koeman. Pic/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/jun/NetherlandsJune-b_e.jpg" alt="Ronald Koeman. Pic/AFP" width="1280" height="720" />Ronald Koeman. Pic/AFP
The Dutch manager lamented his side&rsquo;s inability to capitalise on their early chances.
&ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t put the game to bed within those first 25 minutes, you end up playing against yourselves. If you get four or five clear chances, you have to score,&rdquo; explained Koeman before adding, &ldquo;At times we lacked aggression and were simply too nice.&rdquo;
When asked if it was better to lose now, in a friendly, rather than at the World Cup, Koeman retorted: &ldquo;No. Winning always gives you a certain feeling. Losing is simply bad. We don&rsquo;t need to panic now, but we do need to dot the i&rsquo;s and cross the t&rsquo;s again. You can call it a wake-up call.&rdquo;
Koeman&rsquo;s side will face Uzbekistan in a friendly match in New York on Monday. It will be their final game before the global showpiece tournament kicks off on June 11.
The Dutch are drawn in Group F at the World Cup, alongside Sweden, Tunisia and Japan. Algeria are in Group J, alongside Argentina, Jordan, and Austria.
10 The Netherlands&rsquo;s unbeaten streak prior to their loss vs Algeria
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The Dutch are drawn in Group F at the World Cup, alongside Sweden, Tunisia and Japan. Algeria are in Group J, alongside Argentina, Jordan, and Austria

Dutch manager Koeman: No need to panic, this was a wake-up call

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The Dutch are drawn in Group F at the World Cup, alongside Sweden, Tunisia and Japan. Algeria are in Group J, alongside Argentina, Jordan, and Austria.

‘No need to panic, this was a wake-up call’ Koeman

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