The Belgium vs Netherlands Cups were a series of international football friendly cup matches contested by the national teams of Belgium and the Netherlands. From their first unofficial friendly derbies in the early 1900s, until the mid-1920s, Belgium and the Netherlands competed for floating trophies. During the encounters in Belgium the teams played for the Coupe Vanden Abeele until 1925, while in the Netherlands they faced off for the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker until 1923.[1] In total, there has been 39 Belgian-Dutch friendly cup duels, of which 35 were official internationals.[2]
 Hylkema with the Coupe Vanden Abeele (1914) | |
| Founded | 1904 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1932 |
| Region | Low Countries (UEFA) |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Last champions |  Belgium (15th title) |
| Most successful team(s) |  Netherlands (16 titles) |
The cup awarded in Belgium was named in honor of the donator of the trophy, Frédéric Vanden Abeele Sr., the father of the secretary of Beerschot Athletic Club (where the first tournament was held), in reaction to the successful staging of Brussels of the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz one year earlier.[3] As the Dutch disliked the design of the Belgian trophy, they quickly nicknamed it Het Koperen Dingetje, meaning "The Copper Thingy".[4]
These Belgian-Dutch friendly cups are among the oldest international football cups along with the 1904 Évence Coppée Trophy.
History edit
After the huge success of the first edition of the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz in 1900, the plans for another international club tournament began, and in February 1901, the "Comité voor den beker-Vanden Abeele" invited a Dutch eleven to travel to Antwerp to contest the Coupe Vanden Abeele (offered by Frédéric Vanden Abeele) against an All-Belgium side during the Easter holiday. However, the Easter weekend was already planned for the second edition of the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz in Brussels, so the match had to be delayed by three weeks, and since many Dutch clubs had league commitments on the new date, the Dutch team fell apart and the match was thus almost canceled.[4] However, the Antwerp football director Frédéric Vanden Abeele personally hired Cees van Hasselt, a former Sparta player and a tailor in Rotterdam who had traveled to Antwerp for this match, to quickly assemble a Dutch team to play the game.[5] The ones who took the initiative to play this match against Belgium were Van Hasselt and his friend Jirris,[6] the captain of Rotterdam club side Celeritas, a club from a third-level competition, and this squad was then strengthened by three players from another Rotterdam club, Olympia, which was also a third-level side.[4] Naturally, the hosts, whose team was announced as an All-Belgium XI and included four Englishmen resident in Belgium, had little trouble claiming the Coupe Vanden Abeele after an 8–0 victory, with the star of the match being the English man Herbert Potts, who netted 7 of the Belgian goals.[4] Although the dirigents of this cup only intended to create another international club tournament, they instead had just witnessed what is now considered the first-ever (unofficial) match between Belgium and the Netherlands, held on 28 April 1901 at the ground of Beerschot A.C. in front of just 300 people. This match took place a year earlier than the first official international match played in continental Europe between Austria and Hungary on 12 October 1902.[7]
The next three editions saw the Dutch represented by sides selected and organized by Cees van Hasselt. As a result of the games not being sanctioned by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), only players from the second division were available to Van Hasselt, so Belgium also won those three editions, although with more leveled scores (1–0, 2–1 and 6–4).[8] Neither team can be considered a full national team since the Netherlands was only represented by players from South Netherlands and also because the match was not yet played under the auspices of the KNVB, while the Belgium squad had the presence of English players in the "Belgian" squad such as center-forward Herbert Potts, who scored 12 of "Belgium's" 17 goals.[4] Likewise, in those games the Netherlands was announced under the name of "Van Hasselt XI", while the hosts were announced as an All-Belgian League XI.
In 1905 the Dutch football federation decided to take direct responsibility for the selection of the Dutch side, and so, on 30 April 1905, the Netherlands national team played their first official international game, beating Belgium 4–1 in Antwerp, courtesy of a four-goal haul from Eddy de Neve, thus winning the Coupe Vanden Abeele for the first time.[9] Belgium was the first ever opponent of the Netherlands, but the opposite can't be said as Belgium's official debut came on 1 May 1904 against France at Évence Coppée Trophy.[10]
Coupe Vanden Abeele edit
Unofficial Results (1901–1904) edit
The earliest four games played by a national selection of players active in Belgium, with the Netherlands as opponent between 1901 and 1904, were not yet considered as official because of the presence of English players in the "Belgian" squad.[11][12]
1901 edit
1902 edit
| Belgium | 1–0 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
W. Potts  |
Report |
1903 edit
| Belgium | 2–1 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Blanchard 1–1' H. Potts 2–1' |
Report | Lotsy 0–1' |
1904 edit
Belgium had originally announced to field an exclusively Belgian squad, but eventually replaced Paul Chibert (injured) by Herbert Potts, who contributed decisively in Belgium's win, scoring four goals.
| Belgium | 6–4 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| H. Potts 1–0', 2–1', 4–2', 6–4' Feye 3–2', 5–4' |
Report | Bekker 1–1' Kamperdijk 2–2'Van den Berg 3–4'Wollenberg 4–4' |
Official Results (1905–1925) edit
1905 edit
1906 edit
| Belgium | 5–0 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Vanden Eynde 15' Goetinck 40'De Veen 52', 68', 80' |
Report |
1907 edit
1908 edit
1909 edit
1910 edit
1911 edit
| Belgium | 1–5 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Paternoster 78' |
Report | M. Francken 8', 36', 55' Thomée 83'Welcker 88' |
1912 edit
| Belgium | 1–2 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Nisot 60' |
Report | Thomée 58', 72' |
1913 edit
| Belgium | 3–3 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| De Veen 17', 29' Nisot 30' |
Report | Bosschart 1' Haak 44'M. Francken 63' |
1914 edit
| Belgium | 2–4 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Brébart 18' (pen.) |
Report | Kessler 32', 74' Westra 63'J. Francken 80' |
1921 edit
| Belgium | 1–1 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Bragard 49' |
Report | Kessler 60' |
1922 edit
| Belgium | 4–0 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Larnoe 14', 86' Vandevelde 37'Coppée 47' |
Report |
1924 edit
| Belgium | 1–1 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Thys 78' |
Report | Visser 74' |
1925 edit
Coupe Vanden Abeele Statistics edit
Record edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Dif |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium
|
14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 34 | -9 |
| Netherlands
|
14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 34 | 25 | +9 |
All-time top scorers edit
| Rank | Name | Team | Goals | Tournament(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert De Veen
|
Belgium | 7 | 1906 (3), 1910 (2) and 1913 (2) |
| 2 | Jan Thomée
|
Netherlands | 5 | 1908 (2), 1911 (1) and 1912 (2) |
| Mannes Francken
|
1911 (3) and 1913 (1) | |||
| 4 | Eddy de Neve
|
4 | 1905 (4) | |
| Dé Kessler
|
1910 (1), 1914 (2) and 1921 (1) |
Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker edit
Official Results (1905–1923) edit
1905 edit
| Netherlands | 4–0 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Hesselink 74' de Neve 76' (pen.), 84'Lutjens 80' |
Report |
1906 edit
| Netherlands | 2–3 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Muller 32' Van der Vinne 54' |
Report | Cambier 76', 88' Destrebecq 81' |
1907 edit
1908 edit
1909 edit
1910 edit
| Netherlands | 7–0 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Welcker 10', 28' M. Francken 15', 45', 62'Thomée 55', 80' |
Report |
1911 edit
| Netherlands | 3–1 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| M. Francken 28', 76' van Breda Kolff 29' |
Report | Six 36' |
1912 edit
| Netherlands | 4–3 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| van Berckel 1' M. Francken 2', 20', 62' |
Report | Musch 27' Nisot 43', 56' |
1913 edit
| Netherlands | 2–4 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Bouvy 35' (pen.) de Groot 55' |
Report | Suetens 2' Musch 20', 40'Nisot 36' |
1914 edit
| Netherlands | 4–2 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Buitenweg 15', 81' Vos 24'Kessler 62' |
Report | Van Cant 37' Nisot 40' |
1922 edit
| Netherlands | 1–2 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Bulder 88' |
Report | Dénis 8' (o.g.) Michel 42' |
1923 edit
| Netherlands | 1–1 | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Heijnen 68' |
Report | Thys 34' |
Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker Statistics edit
Record edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Dif |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium
|
21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 55 | -20 |
| Netherlands
|
21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 55 | 35 | +20 |
All-time top scorers edit
| Rank | Name | Team | Goals | Tournament(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mannes Francken
|
Netherlands | 8 | 1910 (3), 1911 (2) and 1912 (3) |
| 2 | Edu Snethlage
|
4 | 1908 (1) and 1909 (3) | |
| Jan Thomée
|
1908 (2) and 1910 (2) | |||
| Fernand Nisot
|
Belgium | 1912 (1), 1913 (2) and 1914 (1) | ||
| 5 | Joseph Musch
|
3 | 1912 (1) and 1913 (2) |
General statistics edit
Overall record edit
| Belgium-Netherlands Cup Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Played | Results | Goals | |||||
| Belgium | Draw | Netherlands | Belgium | Netherlands | ||||
| 1905–25 Coupe Vanden Abeele |
14 | 3* | 3 | 8 | 25 | 34 | ||
| 1905–23 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker |
21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 55 | ||
| Total | 35 | 8* | 8 | 19 | 60 | 89 | ||
| ||||||||
General all-time top scorers edit
This section possibly contains original research. (July 2022) |
| Rank | Name | Team | Goals | Tournament(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mannes Francken
|
Netherlands | 12 | CVA (4) and RNB (8) |
 Herbert Potts
|
Belgium | CVA (12) | ||
| 2 | Jan Thomée
|
Netherlands | 9 | CVA (5) and RNB (4) |
| 3 | Robert De Veen
|
Belgium | 7 | CVA (7) |
| 4 | Eddy de Neve
|
Netherlands | 6 | CVA (4) and RNB (2) |
| Fernand Nisot
|
Belgium | CVA (2) and RNB (4) | ||
| 6 | Dé Kessler
|
Netherlands | 5 | CVA (4) and RNB (1) |
| Edu Snethlage
|
CVA (1) and RNB (4) |
Hat-tricks edit
Since the first official tournament in 1905, a total of 6 hat-tricks have been scored in the 35 official cups. The first hat-trick was scored by Eddy de Neve of Netherlands, scoring 4 goals in a 4-1 win at the Coupe Vanden Abeele on 30 April 1905; and the last was by Mannes Francken, netting three goals also for the Netherlands in a 4-3 win at the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker on 28 April 1912. The record for the most goals scored in a single match is 4, which has been achieved on just one occasion: by the Dutch Eddy de Neve at the 1904 Coupe Vanden Abeele, with three of his goals coming in extra-time. However, if we also include the unofficial matches, then the record is held by the Englishmen Herbert Potts of Belgium, who netted a whopping seven goals in an 8-0 win at the 1901 Coupe Vanden Abeele. Mannes Francken is the only player to have scored three hat-tricks in these friendly duels, two at RNBs (1910 and 1912) and one at the CVA (1911), which is a remarkable achievement since no one else has even scored two, sept for Herbert Potts if the unofficial games are considered. The Netherlands holds the record for most hat-tricks scored with 5, while Belgium only has 1, which was scored by Robert De Veen. On the other hand, the cups are perfectly balanced on hat-tricks, with each having three.
List edit
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
| # | Player | G | Time of goals | For | Result | Against | Tournament | Date | FIFA report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | Herbert Potts | 7 | ?', ?', ?', ?', ?', ?', ?' | Belgium
|
8–0 | Netherlands
|
1901 Coupe Vanden Abeele | 28 April 1901 | |
| . | Herbert Potts (2) | 4 | ?', ?', ?', ?' | 6–4 | 1904 Coupe Vanden Abeele | 3 January 1904 | |||
| 1. | Eddy de Neve | 4 | 80', 106', 117', 119' | Netherlands
|
4–1 | Belgium
|
1905 Coupe Vanden Abeele | 30 April 1905 | |
| 2. | Robert De Veen | 3 | 52', 68', 80' | Belgium
|
7–1 | Netherlands
|
1906 Coupe Vanden Abeele | 29 April 1906 | |
| 3. | Edu Snethlage | 3 | 21', 32', 54' | Netherlands
|
4–1 | Belgium
|
1909 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker | 25 April 1909 | |
| 4. | Mannes Francken | 3 | 15', 45', 62' | 7–0 | 1910 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker | 10 April 1910 | |||
| 5. | Mannes Francken (2) | 3 | 8', 36', 55' | 5–1 | 1911 Coupe Vanden Abeele | 19 March 1911 | |||
| 6. | Mannes Francken (3) | 3 | 2', 20', 62' | 4–3 | 1912 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker | 28 April 1912 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "De geschiedenis van het balspel". Leeuwarder Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 18 March 1932. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Belgium national football team match results". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz". RSSSF. 10 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Coupe Vanden Abeele". RSSSF. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Hoe ging de eerste voetbalwedstrijd van het Nederlands elftal?" [How did the first football match of the Dutch national team go?]. www.quest.nl (in Dutch). 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "5 oktober jarig: Denis Diderot, Jan Ernst van der Pek en Cees van Hasselt" [October 5 birthday: Denis Diderot, Jan Ernst van der Pek and Cees van Hasselt]. isgeschiedenis.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "A debut to savour: countries' first internationals". UEFA.com. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Hoe ging de eerste voetbalwedstrijd van het Nederlands elftal?" [How did the first football match of the Dutch national team go?]. Quest (in Dutch). 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands - List of International Matches". RSSSF. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Belgium v France − a 109-year-old rivalry". News. UEFA. 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Hubert, Christian (1980). Les diables rouges (in French). Brussels: Arts & voyages. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-28-016-0046-7.
- ^ Fraiponts, Jean; Willocx, Dirk (2003). Kroniek van het Belgische voetbal / Pioniers en Rode Duivels - 1863-1906 (in Dutch). Vol. 1. Antwerp: Assoc. BE bvba. ISBN 978-90-77314-01-2.. Extract consulted online on 30 August 2010 on Beerschot Athletic Club Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "1901 Coupe Vanden Abeele". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "1904 Coupe Vanden Abeele". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Belgium vs Netherlands, 30 April 1905". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Belgium vs Netherlands, 29 April 1906". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands vs Belgium, 25 April 1909". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands vs Belgium, 10 April 1910". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Belgium vs Netherlands, 19 March 1911". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands vs Belgium, 28 April 1912". EU-Football.info. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.