When Inessa Kaagman expected to make her international debut for Holland, it was as a late substitute in a game the Dutch were tipped to win somewhere in Europe.
Instead, her maiden bow turned out to be in front of 27,000 fans creating a carnival atmosphere at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa. And she started the game, to boot.
January’s 2-1 win over Banyana Banyana was a timely one for Kaagman. Despite becoming a regular in Netherlands squads since her initial call-up in August 2018, it was only last month that Kaagman finally saw minutes on the pitch.