Nathan Ake's Late Equaliser Gives Netherlands Draw vs. Italy in Friendly

Simone Zaza came off the bench to give Italy the lead, but a late Nathan Ake equaliser ensured the Netherlands walked out of Turin with a 1-1 draw on Monday.

The hosts dominated the first half of the international friendly, and Zaza's toe-poke after the break gave them a deserved lead. Domenico Criscito was sent off for the Azzurri, and with the man advantage, the Dutch equalised in the final minutes.

Here are Monday's key takeaways.

Does Koeman Have a Plan?

Italy were the superior side before the break by a huge margin, and the Netherlands were the better side in the second half. This friendly between two sides that won't be going to the World Cup and are in the midst of a difficult period was never about the result or on-pitch dominance.

Rather, it gave both managers the chance to experiment and see what they have in the squad. For Roberto Mancini, it meant rotating the side compared to the loss against France, with the likes of Mattia Perin and Andrea Belotti coming in. Youngsters Daniele Rugani and Alessio Romagnoli led the way in defence, and the duo of Jorginho and Bryan Cristante got the chance to play together in midfield.

Ronald Koeman's approach was a little different. While he did start Matthijs de Ligt, he mostly avoided youth and players with upside in favour of the likes of Ryan Babel and Daley Blind―players who don't seem to be a part of the team's long-term future.

It's a missed opportunity for a team that had little to gain from this friendly in the first place, and a mistake on Koeman's part.

Belotti Has Run Out of Credit

Belotti desperately needed a good outing on Monday after watching Mario Balotelliimpress against Saudi Arabia and France. Il Gallo and Super Mario appear to be locked in a battle for the main backup spot at the striker position, behind Lazio Roma's Ciro Immobile, who had a fantastic season.

The Torino man did not have a good season, and at 24 years old, he can't be considered a prospect any longer. His great scoring exploits last year bought him some credit, but the 2016-17 campaign appears nothing but a distant memory at this point.

Against the Netherlands, Belotti spent just over an hour running offside and wasting excellent chances:

He was unlucky to have a goal called back for a narrow offside call early, and if it had stood, this could have been an entirely different section. Instead, he barely had the time to put on his training top on the bench before his replacement Zaza scored the opener.

It's a Good Time to Be a Stopper

Both Perin and Jasper Cillessen have been linked with transfer moves, and both boosted their value with solid final outings before starting their summer vacation.

The former was on point for the Azzurri at a stadium he might soon call home, while Cillessen made a number of great saves in the first half. It was mostly because of his solid performance the score was tied at half-time:

With clubs all over Europe queueing up to sign a new goalkeeper this summer, these two picked the right time to peak.

What's Next?

Both teams won't play again until next season.