Van de Beek equalizes as Netherlands draws 1-1 with Spain

Donny van de Beek put his Manchester United troubles behind him to score the equalizer as the Netherlands came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Spain in a friendly at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday.

Van de Beek has struggled to establish himself as a first-team player in Manchester but felt right at home back at the stadium where he rose to prominence with Ajax as he drilled a low shot past Unai Simon in the 47th minute.

It was a fourth match in charge without a win for Netherlands coach Frank de Boer, whose record is now a loss and three draws.

Spain had taken the lead in the 19th minute when Sergio Canales scored his first international goal.

The match was a repeat of the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg that Spain won 1-0 thanks to an extra-time goal by Andres Iniesta. It also pitted former Barcelona teammates Luis Enrique and De Boer against one another as national team coaches.

Álvaro Morata, who has scored three goals in his last three matches with Juventus, turned provider for Spain's opening goal. He turned away from Frenkie de Jong and Daley Blind before passing to Canales, who had time and room to calmly slide a low, left-foot shot past Marco Bizot, who was making his debut in the Dutch goal at age 29.

Spain was more urgent in the first half, pressing the makeshift Dutch defense high up the pitch and not letting De Boer's team settle into its passing game. The closest the Dutch came to scoring before the break was a shot by Sevilla forward Luuk de Jong straight at Unai Simon.

The hosts' intensity picked up after the break and was rewarded immediately when a cross by Owen Wijndal bounced through the penalty area to Van de Beek, who fired a low shot pas Simon for his second international goal.

Image credits: AP