It was a goal worthy of a Dutch master but it still wasn’t enough to satisfy Dundee United’s Nick van der Velden.
It is not hyperbole to suggest that the late, great Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp or even Marco van Basten would have been proud to have scored the wonderful strike conjured up by compatriot Van der Velden at Tannadice on Saturday.
His piece of individual brilliance on 58 minutes which pulled United level with Queen of the South really was that good.
It was his first for the club and cancelled out the goal from former Tannadice midfielder Mark Millar five minutes before half-time that had given the visitors a deserved lead.
Van der Velden admitted United were flat in that first half but much better in the second.
That improvement and his great goal that made it 1-1 still weren’t much consolation for Van der Velden on the opening day of the Championship season.
He said: “I think this goal is definitely in my top five.
“I am not saying I have scored four better – it is just that it’s one of the best.
“I liked this one a lot, though, because it is my first outside Holland and my first for United.
“So it’s very special and I will remember it for a long time.
“It was a great cross and I pretended that I was shooting with my right foot then left foot, before putting it right again and then shot into the net.
“It was important that I got a goal but not getting the win is more important.
“I was very glad to score but it is the victory that is the most valuable thing in this league.
“We know it will be a tough season.
“We should have made it three points but in the first half we gave the ball away so easily.
“We were not focused.
“I had three or four passes which normally would have been good but this time they didn’t go from A to B and I don’t know why.
“In the second half, though, as a team we restored ourselves and then played much better.
“Things went well when we went 4-4-2 with Simon and Cammy Smith up front. That allowed me more space to go and get the ball.
“I also think we will improve over the next few matches.
“I have to do more, though, and raise my game.”
Queens boss Gavin Skelton revealed after the match that keeping a close watch on Van der Velden was a key part of his game strategy, with the plan being to push him wide as much as possible.
That was a compliment to a player who has only just arrived on these shores.
Van der Velden said: “I expect to be marked tightly but it is then up to me to create space.
“I know that the opposition will be looking to close me down but it will be fine because I will find a way past that.
“It is only our first league game so there are plenty left for me.
“I want to do well for the fans because they are amazing and are standing by us.
“I hope they will be cheering us in the next games.”
United boss Ray McKinnon will be hoping for more special moments from Van der Velden over the course of the campaign and he was certainly happy with the Dutchman’s goal.
McKinnon said: “It was absolutely top-drawer stuff from Nick.
“He’s a very talented player and it was a magic finish.
“I’ve seen him do stuff like that in training!”
While United’s lack of spark before the break was worthy of criticism, it is worth noting that McKinnon had to do without his two first-choice fullbacks.
That robbed him of an attacking option that he has been working hard on all summer.
Paul Dixon had an operation on his knee ligaments at the weekend and could be out for up to two months, while Lewis Toshney also missed the match against the Doonhamers because of a calf injury.
McKinnon added: “It’s disappointing having Toshney and Dixon out at the start of the season.
“We want to build a team with those two going forward on overlaps.”
The Tangerines’ gaffer is hoping that if the team needed a reminder of how tough the division will be then they received it on Saturday.
He said: “It’s maybe the wake-up call my players needed.
“It was an eye-opener which tells us we have to be competitive right from the start.
“They have to match every team which comes to Tannadice for the entire 90 minutes.
“I didn’t think we did that in the first half.
“We were a wee bit sloppy.
“It took us until the second half to pick the pace up and have a right go at them.
“In the end, we got our just rewards in my opinion.”
As did Queen of the South, who were the better side in that first half and deserved to take the lead when they did.
Lyndon Dykes cut in from the left-hand side of the box and let fly, only for United keeper Cammy Bell to push the shot away.
The rebound fell to Grant Anderson and he unselfishly squared it to Millar, whose low 12-yard shot weaved its way into the net.
On 58 minutes, though, the Tangerines were level and the goal was an absolute cracker.
There didn’t appear to be much on when Stewart Murdoch’s diagonal ball was collected by the Dutchman inside the visitors’ box.
However, Van der Velden showed great skill to chip the ball up in the air, bamboozling the Queen of the South defence.
He then repeated the keepie-up trick before drilling a low right-foot shot into the far corner of the net.
United, who now face Partick Thistle at home in the Betfred Cup on Tuesday night, will need to up their game but some more Dutch class from Van der Velden might just help them get through.
