TURIN: Nathan Ake scored two minutes from time for the Netherlands to grab a 1-1 draw with hosts Italy in a friendly in Turin last night between two of the best sides not to qualify for the World Cup in Russia.
Simone Zaza squeezed home a square pass after a sprint down the right flank by Federico Chiesa in the 67th minute to give the home team a deserved lead after they had spurned a series of first-half chances.
Zaza got ahead of a tired-looking Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk to steer the ball home from close range.
But Italy had defender Domenico Criscito sent off two minutes later after he picked up a second caution, opening the door for the Dutch to push for an equaliser.
Substitute Ake stole in the back post unmarked to power home a header for the 88th-minute equaliser and might have grabbed a winner on the stroke of full-time in similar fashion.
Italy should have been comfortably ahead at halftime even though both sides looked leg-weary.
Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen made a point-blank save from Andrea Belotti and Simone Verdi missed a sitter for Italy.
Dutch midfielder Rudi Vormer cleared off the line with a header just before the interval to deny Bryan Cristante.
Both teams are rebuilding under new coaches – Roberto Mancini for Italy and Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, World Cup-bound Serbia gave their coach Mladen Krstajic plenty to worry about ahead of the tournament in Russia after a tepid performance in Monday’s 1-0 friendly defeat by a second-string Chile side.
Only two astonishing misses by substitute Angelo Henriquez spared the Serbians from a heavier defeat, with centre back Guillermo Maripan heading in an 89th-winner for Chile who failed to qualify for the tournament.
Morocco’s Ayoub Kaabi and Younes Belhanda scored in a 10-minute second-half spell to give the World Cup-bound side a convincing 2-1 win over Slovakia.
The North Africans dominated the first half and nearly went ahead when Hakim Ziyech hit the post from long range.
Slovakia, who missed out on the tournament in Russia, went ahead in the 59th minute when Jans Gregus rifled home a low shot from 25 metres.
But substitute Kaabi headed Morocco level five minutes later and Belhanda turned the game around when he chested the ball down and fired home with a low shot from the edge of the area.