Jesse Lingard Scores Winner as England Beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Friendly

Jesse Lingard led England to a 1-0 win over the Netherlands in Amsterdam in a drab international friendly.

The Manchester United man gave the Three Lions a deserved lead in the second half, and the hosts barely threatened in the World Cup tuneup. 

Here's a look at the teams:

While this may have been an international friendly, the England physio was kept busy early. Both Danny Rose and Joe Gomez required treatment after picking up knocks, sucking the pace out of the contest. The latter would eventually be replaced by Harry Maguire.

The first chance fell to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who fired a shot right at goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet, while Lingard went wide with his effort, although replays confirmed it took a deflection.

A mistake from Jordan Henderson saw Matthijs de Ligt put Jordan Pickford to work, and the Liverpool man nearly made up for it with a smart header that only just missed the mark.

Zoet had a fine first half and made an excellent save to deny Raheem Sterling, preserving his clean sheet. Bas Dost also got in on the action with a header that sailed high, and Lingard only just missed a cross, before the official called for half-time.

HLN's Kristof Terreur summed up what many fans were feeling after a drab 45 minutes:

Virgil van Dijk started the second half with a great block to deny Oxlade-Chamberlain before controversy ensued. Marcus Rashford went down after clear contact with De Ligt, but the official did not award the Lions a penalty.

Per Football Whispers, it should have been awarded:

It took the visitors an hour to break the deadlock, but Lingard eventually got his first international goal with a curled effort Zoet perhaps should have dealt with.

BBC Sport's Phil McNulty certainly thought so:

That was the sign for the Netherlands to increase the pressure, with Memphis Depay and Dost both missing half-chances. De Ligt fired a shot wide, and Depay put his shot right at Pickford.

The Lyon man went close again with a free-kick that was easily dealt with by Pickford, while Kieran Trippier couldn't beat Zoet on the counter. Despite some late pressure, the Netherlands never seemed likely to score, and England held on for the win.