With Memphis Depay fit to start after recovering from a hamstring injury and a virus infection, the Corinthians striker got the nod ahead of Ajax forward Wout Weghorst. Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman selected eight Premier League players to start, with only Memphis, Denzel Dumfries (Inter), and Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) active outside of England.
Barcelona ace Robert Lewandowski returned to international duty for Poland after manager Michael Probierz resigned earlier this summer. The Polish top scorer of all time refused to play under Probierz after the latter took Lewandowski's captaincy away.
The first bits of danger came from Oranje via Manchester City star Tijjani Reijnders, who hit the post inside the opening 15 minutes. Cody Gakpo then fired a dangerous shot at Lukasz Skorupski, who miraculously saved the effort with his foot.
After Micky van de Ven quickly closed the gap before a potentially dangerous shot from Poland, the Netherlands dialled up the pressure again as Denzel Dumfries was the next Dutchman to hit the post with a header from close range.
Dumfries eventually broke the deadlock himself after 28 minutes, heading in his 11th Oranje goal at the back post from a corner from Memphis Depay.
The first big chance for Poland came after 38 minutes, when Fenerbahce midfielder Sebastian Szymanski was allowed to head the ball at Bart Verbruggen's goal freely, but the small-framed playmaker's effort flew wide of the post.
The Netherlands opened the second half optimistically, but could not find their way past Skorupski with chances for Memphis and Spurs newcomer Xavi Simons.
Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash made Oranje pay for their lacklustre finishing with a thunderbolt that flew in past Verbruggen's near post, putting the Poles alongside in the 80th minute.
Desperately looking for a famous winner, Koeman's orange armada pushed forward and even had captain Virgil van Dijk acting as a de facto striker. Meanwhile, Poland stretched out the five minutes of extra time as much as they could.
The Poles did what they set out to do and saw out the match in Rotterdam, taking home a valuable point from what's likely the hardest away game in group G. Poland host Finland next on Sunday.
The Netherlands lost their first points and will travel to Vilnius next for an away game in Lithuania.
View all the match statistics on Flashscore.
