Andres Iniesta Boos Slammed, Guus Hiddink Tells Netherlands Fans to Feel Ashamed

Netherlands boss Guus Hiddink has slammed the Dutch fans who booed Spain's Andres Iniesta as he made a 76th-minute substitute appearance at the Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday.

The Netherlands beat Spain 2-0 in Tuesday's friendly, but the victory was marred by the reaction to the Barcelona midfielder's introduction late in the game.

The hostility toward the 30-year-old was a reaction to Iniesta's extra-time winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, when Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Johannesburg.

Hiddink, however, branded the booing "shameless," condemning the reaction of the fans in no uncertain terms, per ESPN FC: "Such a player, such a world-class player. The fact that he was booed should make the crowd feel deeply ashamed. He's a fantastic player and a great person. That was really inappropriate, and shameless."

Iniesta is widely regarded as a class act both on and off the field, and few will have been on board with the reaction he received in Amsterdam.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque admitted he had never experienced such hostilities in his time in charge of the national team, per ESPN FC: "I have been on the Spain bench for 98 internationals, but I've never experienced anything like that before."

It was not a good night for Spain overall as they continue their period of transition following a miserable World Cup campaign in Brazil in 2014, which signalled the end of a spell of unprecedented glory.

Goals inside the first 16 minutes from Stefan de Vrij and Davy Klaassen proved the difference for the Dutch as they cruised to victory.

The result will ease some of the pressure on Hiddink, who has had a torrid time since taking over from Louis van Gaal after the World Cup—losing four of eight matches—with Football Oranje marking the victory as a potential turning point:

"

Hiddink now needs to take this confidence into the Euros. Found the right balance tonight, for the first time since taking charge.

— Dutch Football (@football_oranje) March 31, 2015"

Del Bosque, on the other hand, still has much work to do to return Spain to the top of world football. La Roja recently dropped out of the top 10 in FIFA's world rankings for the first time since 2007, per The Independent's James Orr.

Both sides now have a long break before their next fixtures in June, when Spain have a Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus and the Dutch face the USA in a friendly.