Brian Brobbey netted his first goal in orange colours as the Netherlands’ Nations League campaign fizzled out in a cold, damp and half-empty stadium in Zenica.

The Ajax striker’s reverse header in the 24th minute was a rare highlight of the first half as a team made up largely of reserve players struggled to find coherence.

The home team showed more enterprise in the second half and deservedly equalised in the 67th minute when Ermedin Demirovic pounced from close range amid some ragged defending.

Bosnia and Herzegovina were playing for pride after a 7-0 drubbing in Germany the previous week condemned them to relegation from League A, while Oranje had already secured progress to the quarter-finals.

Ronald Koeman left out Frenkie de Jong, who returned to Barcelona to continue his rehabilitation from an ankle injury, and Virgil van Dijk, who was rested ahead of a busy spell for his club Liverpool.

Brobbey started up front along with Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee for the first time, with PSV’s Noa Lang and Justin Kluivert of Bournemouth providing support on the wings. Mark Flekken was given a chance in goal, while Mats Wieffer returned to midfield after missing Euro 2024 through injury.

Edin Dzeko, playing perhaps his last match for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the age of 38, twice had the ball in the net in the first half, but both times he was penalised for a technical infringement.

Frustrating night

Zirkzee had a good chance to make the score 2-0 just before the break, but his shot lacked conviction, while Jorrel Hato blazed over when presented with a good chance to snatch a late winner.

It was a frustrating night for Koeman, who praised his team’s commitment in “difficult” circumstances but admitted they had run out of steam in the second half.

“It was an international match with nothing to play for, which is always different,” he said. “We managed all right in the cold but the pitch was very difficult to play on, players were sliding around.

“Despite that we were mostly in control until the last half hour. But really we should be winning games like this.”