Louis van Gaal's Netherlands squeezed past Turkey at the Amsterdam ArenA, securing a 2-0 win in their opening World Cup 2014 qualifier.
The game represented the new Dutch boss' first victory in an official match and while the scoreline looks good, the performance may suggest otherwise.
Turkey began at pace, attacking Netherlands and pressing them when not in possession. Their intent was clear right from the first corner, won in the first minute off the body of Kevin Strootman, as the visitors went close with a header.
Robin van Persie continued his new-found trend of scoring with his head by nodding in from Inter star Wesley Sneijder's corner.
The 19th minute goal gave van Gaal's men temporary hope, but it was Abdullah Avci's side who came away from the restart stronger.
Sercan Yildrim and Arda Turan both went desperately close for The Crescent-Stars, while Luciano Narsingh should have done better when he found himself in a great position.
As the first half wore on, it became clear the Netherlands midfield weren't coping with the physicality of the game. Umut hit the bar with a header just before half-time, leaving Oranje counting their blessings at the interval.
Van Gaal introduced Richardo van Rhijn at half-time and replaced Jordy Clasie with Leroy Fer shortly after.
The changes allowed the Dutch to grab a hold of the game more efficiently and they proceeded to dominate the opening 10 minutes of the second-half. Ron Vlaar came on late for Jonny Heitinga to add solidity to the back line, and Narsingh scored late on with a chipped finish as Turkey piled forward in search of an equaliser.
First place in this group is far from assured on this showing for Oranje, who failed to control the game as they may have hoped before the encounter.
Match Report: Netherlands 2-0 Turkey - Goal.com
