Belgium vs Netherlands Cups

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]

Coupe Vanden Abeele
Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker
Founded1904
Abolished1932
RegionLow Countries (UEFA)
Number of teams2
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
The first Belgium national team, 28 April 1901. Back from left: Harry Menzies (FC Liégeois), Georges Simon (Racing Club de Bruxelles), Fernand Defalle (goalkeeper - FC Liégeois), Hughes Ryan (Léopold CB), Gustave Pelgrims (Léopold CB), Charles Maggee (referee - Beerschot). Front from left: Herbert Potts (Beerschot), Jan Robyns (Beerschot), Ernest Gillon (RC de Brussels), Albert Friling (Captain - Beerschot), Lucien Londot (FC Liégeois), Walter Potts (Beerschot).

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

Unofficial Results (1901–1904)

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
Belgium 8–0Netherlands Netherlands B ("van Hasselt XI")
H. Potts ?', ?', ?', ?', ?', ?', ?'
W. Potts ?'		 Report
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 300
Referee: Charles Maggee

1902
Belgium 1–0 Netherlands
W. Potts Report
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium

1903
Belgium 2–1 Netherlands
Blanchard 1–1'
H. Potts 2–1'		 Report Lotsy 0–1'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium

1904

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'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Referee: Herbert Willing (Netherlands)

1905
Belgium 1–4 (a.e.t.) Netherlands
Stom 86' (o.g.) Report de Neve 80', 106', 117', 119'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 800
Referee: Frank König (Belgium)

1906
Belgium 5–0 Netherlands
Vanden Eynde 15'
Goetinck 40'
De Veen 52', 68', 80'		 Report
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Pat Harrower (England)

1907
Belgium 1–3 (a.e.t.) Netherlands
Feye 13' Report Van Gogh 74', 118'
Feith 99'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Pat Harrower (England)

1908
Belgium 1–4 Netherlands
Vertongen 81' Report Ruffelse 12'
Thomée 50', 74'
De Korver 85'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Pat Harrower (England)

1909
Belgium 1–4 Netherlands
Poelmans 63' Report Snethlage 11'
Kessler 19'
Welcker 38'
Lutjens 79'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Thomas Kyle (England)

1910
Belgium 3–2 (a.e.t.) Netherlands
De Veen 19', 24'
Six 119'		 Report Lutjens 21'
Kessler 26'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 8,500
Referee: James Schumacher (England)

1911
Belgium 1–5 Netherlands
Paternoster 78' Report M. Francken 8', 36', 55'
Thomée 83'
Welcker 88'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Thomas Campbell (England)

1912
Belgium 1–2 Netherlands
Nisot 60' Report Thomée 58', 72'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 9,225
Referee: Charles Crisp (England)

1913
Belgium 3–3 Netherlands
De Veen 17', 29'
Nisot 30'		 Report Bosschart 1'
Haak 44'
M. Francken 63'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Frederick Kirkham (England)

1914
Belgium 2–4 Netherlands
Brébart 18' (pen.) Report Kessler 32', 74'
Westra 63'
J. Francken 80'
Beerschot A.C. ground, Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: James Schumacher (England)

1921
Belgium 1–1 Netherlands
Bragard 49' Report Kessler 60'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Charles Barette (Belgium)

1922
Belgium 4–0 Netherlands
Larnoe 14', 86'
Vandevelde 37'
Coppée 47'		 Report
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Claud Newman (England)

1924
Belgium 1–1 Netherlands
Thys 78' Report Visser 74'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Harry Kingscott (England)

1925
Belgium 0–1 Netherlands
Report van Baar van Slangenburgh 64'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Harry Kingscott (England)

Record
Team Pld W D L GF GA Dif
 Belgium 143382534-9
 Netherlands 148333425+9

All-time top scorers
Rank Name Team Goals Tournament(s)
1 Belgium Robert De Veen Belgium 7 1906 (3), 1910 (2) and 1913 (2)
2 Netherlands Jan Thomée Netherlands 5 1908 (2), 1911 (1) and 1912 (2)
Netherlands Mannes Francken 1911 (3) and 1913 (1)
4 Netherlands Eddy de Neve 4 1905 (4)
Netherlands Dé Kessler 1910 (1), 1914 (2) and 1921 (1)

Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker

1905
Netherlands 4–0 Belgium
Hesselink 74'
de Neve 76' (pen.), 84'
Lutjens 80'		 Report
Schuttersveld ground, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Henry Vermeulen (Netherlands)

1906
Netherlands 2–3 Belgium
Muller 32'
Van der Vinne 54'		 Report Cambier 76', 88'
Destrebecq 81'
Schuttersveld, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Frank König (Belgium)

1907
Netherlands 1–2 Belgium
Feith 54' Report Feye 14'
Goetinck 60'
De Hout, Haarlem, Netherlands
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Ernest Holland (England)

1908
Netherlands 3–1 Belgium
Snethlage 17'
Thomée 31' (pen.), 60' (pen.)		 Report Saeys 90'
Prinsenlaan, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Jack Howcroft (England)

1909
Netherlands 4–1 Belgium
Lutjens 2'
Snethlage 21', 32', 54'		 Report Goossens 58'
Prinsenlaan, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Jack Howcroft (England)

1910
Netherlands 7–0 Belgium
Welcker 10', 28'
M. Francken 15', 45', 62'
Thomée 55', 80'		 Report
De Hout, Haarlem, Netherlands
Referee: John Howcroft (England)

1911
Netherlands 3–1 Belgium
M. Francken 28', 76'
van Breda Kolff 29'		 Report Six 36'
D.F.C.-terrein aan de Markettenweg, Dordrecht, Netherlands
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: George Miller (England)

1912
Netherlands 4–3 Belgium
van Berckel 1'
M. Francken 2', 20', 62'		 Report Musch 27'
Nisot 43', 56'
D.F.C.-terrein aan de Markettenweg, Dordrecht, Netherlands
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: John Pearson (England)

1913
Netherlands 2–4 Belgium
Bouvy 35' (pen.)
de Groot 55'		 Report Suetens 2'
Musch 20', 40'
Nisot 36'
Zwolsche Atletische Club Stadion, Zwolle, Netherlands
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: John Baily (England)

1914
Netherlands 4–2 Belgium
Buitenweg 15', 81'
Vos 24'
Kessler 62'		 Report Van Cant 37'
Nisot 40'
Attendance: 28,282
Referee: John Pearson (England)

1922
Netherlands 1–2 Belgium
Bulder 88' Report Dénis 8' (o.g.)
Michel 42'
Attendance: 29,730
Referee: Louis Fourgous (France)

1923
Netherlands 1–1 Belgium
Heijnen 68' Report Thys 34'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Ernst Albihn (Sweden)

Record
Team Pld W D L GF GA Dif
 Belgium 2155113555-20
 Netherlands 2111555535+20

All-time top scorers
Rank Name Team Goals Tournament(s)
1 Netherlands Mannes Francken Netherlands 8 1910 (3), 1911 (2) and 1912 (3)
2 Netherlands Edu Snethlage 4 1908 (1) and 1909 (3)
Netherlands Jan Thomée 1908 (2) and 1910 (2)
Belgium Fernand Nisot Belgium 1912 (1), 1913 (2) and 1914 (1)
5 Belgium Joseph Musch 3 1912 (1) and 1913 (2)

General statistics

Overall record
Belgium-Netherlands Cup Record
Competition Played Results Goals
BelgiumDrawNetherlands BelgiumNetherlands
Belgium 1905–25 Coupe Vanden Abeele143*382534
Netherlands 1905–23 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker2155113555
Total358*8196089
* Excluding the four trophies between 1901 and 1904 won by a 'Belgian' selection, as these matches are unofficial.

General all-time top scorers
Rank Name Team Goals Tournament(s)
1 Netherlands Mannes Francken Netherlands 12 CVA (4) and RNB (8)
England Herbert Potts Belgium CVA (12)
2 Netherlands Jan Thomée Netherlands 9 CVA (5) and RNB (4)
3 Belgium Robert De Veen Belgium 7 CVA (7)
4 Netherlands Eddy de Neve Netherlands 6 CVA (4) and RNB (2)
Belgium Fernand Nisot Belgium CVA (2) and RNB (4)
6 Netherlands Dé Kessler Netherlands 5 CVA (4) and RNB (1)
Netherlands Edu Snethlage CVA (1) and RNB (4)

Hat-tricks

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
Belgium vs Netherlands Cup hat-tricks
# 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
[13]
. Herbert Potts (2) 4 ?', ?', ?', ?' 6–4 1904 Coupe Vanden Abeele 3 January 1904
[14]
1. Eddy de Neve 4 80', 106', 117', 119'  Netherlands 4–1  Belgium 1905 Coupe Vanden Abeele 30 April 1905
[15]
2. Robert De Veen 3 52', 68', 80'  Belgium 7–1  Netherlands 1906 Coupe Vanden Abeele 29 April 1906
[16]
3. Edu Snethlage 3 21', 32', 54'  Netherlands 4–1  Belgium 1909 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker 25 April 1909
[17]
4. Mannes Francken 3 15', 45', 62' 7–0 1910 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker 10 April 1910
[18]
5. Mannes Francken (2) 3 8', 36', 55' 5–1 1911 Coupe Vanden Abeele 19 March 1911
[19]
6. Mannes Francken (3) 3 2', 20', 62' 4–3 1912 Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad Beker 28 April 1912
[20]

See also

References
  1. "De geschiedenis van het balspel". Leeuwarder Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 18 March 1932. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  2. "Belgium national football team match results". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  3. "Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz". RSSSF. 10 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  4. "Coupe Vanden Abeele". RSSSF. 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  5. "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. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  6. "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). Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  7. "A debut to savour: countries' first internationals". UEFA.com. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  8. "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.
  9. "Netherlands - List of International Matches". RSSSF. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  10. "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.
  11. Hubert, Christian (1980). Les diables rouges (in French). Brussels: Arts & voyages. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-28-016-0046-7.
  12. 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
  13. "1901 Coupe Vanden Abeele". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  14. "1904 Coupe Vanden Abeele". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  15. "Belgium vs Netherlands, 30 April 1905". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  16. "Belgium vs Netherlands, 29 April 1906". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  17. "Netherlands vs Belgium, 25 April 1909". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  18. "Netherlands vs Belgium, 10 April 1910". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  19. "Belgium vs Netherlands, 19 March 1911". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  20. "Netherlands vs Belgium, 28 April 1912". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
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