Koolen celebrates 150th cap in style: 'Don't like making mistakes'

Sanne Koolen (30) does not naturally seek the spotlight, but the elegant Orange defender was in the center of attention on Sunday afternoon around her 150th international match. of interest. Her parents, family and friends had come to Rotterdam and her teammates reflected on the milestone in advance. Koolen then did what she has been doing for years against Ireland: ruthlessly defending with a high lower limit. "Every mistake is one too many for me."

Sunday's trouble-free 4-0 Pro League win over Ireland provided a fitting backdrop for her anniversary. A big victory, no goals conceded and again a match in which Koolen did her work almost silently. She defends the way a good perfume works: never flashy, but immediately present and difficult to ignore. Doesn't need spectacular action to leave her mark on a match. Her strength lies in preventing problems even before they visibly arise.

In the first games under Ehren, the Dutch team had to concede a number of unnecessary goals. The team now seems to be becoming more and more stable defensively. This weekend, the average number of goals conceded under Ehren fell below one per match for the first time since he took over as national coach. The Netherlands kept a clean sheet against Ireland in two matches in a row: on Saturday it was 7-0, on Sunday it was 4-0.