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• Koeman fumes after coming up short in 'all facets of football' against Germany

  Ronald Koeman believed his Netherlands side fell short in "all facets of football" after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the Nations League on Monday.

  Jamie Leweling netted the only goal of the encounter at the Allianz Arena, marking his senior international debut in style to put his nation on the brink of qualification. 

  The Netherlands struggled during the contest, ending the game with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.13, with Donyell Malen's 89th minute effort their only attempt on target.

  Koeman's side also managed just eight touches in the opposition box compared to Germany's 26, despite edging the possession at the full-time whistle. 

  "If you go back too far, you bring that on yourself," Koeman said.

  "We came up short on all sides, perhaps in all facets of football. We did things differently at half-time and then we got a bit more rest. But they were much better today.

  "I am not satisfied by our performance. The Germans were the better, faster and physically stronger. They created more chances.

  "We lost too many balls in the midfield. We went too far back. That was not the plan. The plan was to put pressure forward on the right side. But it did not happen."

  The result leaves the Netherlands in second in Group A3, level on points with Hungary after Dominik Szoboszlai's double handed them a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

  Stand-in captain Stefan de Vrij echoed Koeman's thoughts after the encounter, saying his side deserved to lose against Germany.

  "It seems clear to me that it was a deserved defeat," said De Vrij.

  "The first half was very mediocre. We were very sloppy and gave away a number of balls just like that, which allowed them to become dangerous.

  "In the second half it was a bit better, but it's hard to create chances."

  The Lazio defender took the armband in place of Virgil van Dijk, who was suspended following his red card against Hungary.

  Though the Netherlands did not do enough in attack, De Vrij said that Van Dijk's absence from the team had an impact. 

  "Yes, of course you miss him. He's a very important player and he's our captain. And he's a great defender, so it makes sense that he's missed," De Vrij concluded.

• Zola surprised by Palmer's Chelsea impact

  Gianfranco Zola believes Cole Palmer is a "top player", though he has been surprised by the impact the England international has had since joining Chelsea.

  Palmer signed for the Blues at the start of last season and is a hugely influential figure at Stamford Bridge.

  He was named the Premier League's Young Player of the Year, and since his debut in September 2023, Palmer has been involved in 44 top-flight goals (28 goals, 16 assists). No other player in the competition has directly contributed to as many goals in that time.

  Already this season, he has netted six goals and registered five assists in the league, the most of any Chelsea player, and made history against Brighton, becoming the first player to score four times in the first half of a Premier League match.

  And Chelsea great Zola has high hopes for the 22-year-old.

  "At the moment he is producing performances and results worthy of a top player, so where he can get, I don't know, because this guy has surprised everyone, especially me," Zola told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.

  "I knew he had good qualities, but doing what he is doing is a surprise for me. And so, I would really like him to continue to surprise both me and the others, so let's hope he continues like this."

  Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League and are unbeaten in the competition since their opening-day loss to Palmer's former club Manchester City.

  Enzo Maresca is now looking to become only the fifth boss to win each of his first four Premier League away games, with one of the previous four to do so being his next opponent, Liverpool's Arne Slot.

  Despite questions surrounding the club before the start of the season, Maresca has seemingly imposed his style of play on the squad quickly, and Zola is impressed with how they have adapted to life under the new head coach.

  "I am very happy because beyond the results, which are positive, the team is showing signs of being on the right path," he added.

  "There is a structure that is working and then, as they say in England, a 'top of that', that is Palmer, who is continuing to do extraordinary things as he did last year."

  Chelsea face league leaders Liverpool on Sunday and will be looking to stay in the mix at the top of the table by claiming their first win in seven against the Reds.

  Maresca has shrugged off early suggestions that Chelsea could challenge for the title this season, and though Zola thinks the Blues are competing well, he expects it to be tight in the Premier League.

  "Undoubtedly the competition is very strong, very high," he said.

  "Liverpool, Arsenal, who have been doing important things for a few years now, City, who will return to their levels, are already at their levels, have had the misfortune of losing a very important player like Rodri, who can be a factor, but [Pep] Guardiola has always shown that he can find solutions, so they will also be there.

  "The Premier League is competitive, and Chelsea will have a lot of competitiveness against these teams. However, I repeat, it is encouraging because they are growing well."

• Columbus Crew 4-0 New England Revolution: Matan nets hat-trick in huge win

  The Columbus Crew ended their home regular-season campaign on a high note by thrashing the New England Revolution 4-0.

  Reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus had already sealed their playoff spot and a regular-season club-record tally of points prior to Saturday's fixture at Lower.com Field.

  Yet Wilfried Nancy's team did not let up as Alexandru Matan's hat-trick propelled them to an emphatic victory over a New England side that must lick their wounds after a dismal season.

  DeJuan Jones got the ball rolling with a sublime curler in the fourth minute, with Matan subsequently taking centre-stage.

  The Romanian drilled home a low finish in the 14th minute, before doubling his tally from close range in the 64th.

  Matan should have scored a third when he was put through one-on-one with Aljaz Ivacic, only to fire straight at the goalkeeper, but the hat-trick strike did arrive when he capitalised on a similar chance soon after.

  While New England's only target in their final game of the season is to try and move above Nashville SC at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Crew will aim to keep up the momentum heading into the postseason when they visit the New York Red Bulls.

  Data Debrief: Free-scoring Crew in fine form

  The Crew have now won four of their last seven MLS games, and have scored in each of their last six, netting 17 times in total (an average of 2.8 per game).

  They have also kept it tight at the back this season, with Saturday's clean sheet marking their 12th shutout of the campaign, a tally bettered only by the Seattle Sounders (13).

  New England, meanwhile, have failed to score in 10 of their 33 games in 2024. Only Nashville (11) have failed to score more often in the MLS this season.