An absorbing second-half of football at Wembley produced five goals, three of them for Holland, as Stuart Pearce’s big night as England Caretaker Manager ended in a cruel, cruel defeat.
A 90th-minute chip from Ashley Young appeared to have handed England a 2-2 draw, but former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben popped up just moments later to curl home his second goal of the night and give the 2010 World Cup runners-up a late victory.
Robben fired Holland ahead in the 57th-minute, finishing of a clinical counter-attacking move, and substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, on for Robin van Persie at half-time, thundered home a header just moments later to make it 2-0, but clashed heads with Chris Smalling in the process.
Gary Cahill pulled a goal back for an improving England in the 85th minute when he calmly finished from inside the box and Young clipped the ball over Maarten Stekelenburg in the last minute to seemingly earn England a draw.
But there was still enough time for Robben to inflict defeat on England with one final swing of his left foot, though the ball did appear to take a deflection on the way in.
