The Netherlands routed Greece 7-0 at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam on Friday, moving three points clear at the top of Group A2 in the UEFA Nations League.
Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring in the sixth minute after defensive errors by Dinos Mavropanos. Tijjani Reijnders then took control with a first-half hat-trick. He scored in the 12th, 18th, and 33rd minutes. Jurriën Timber added a fifth in the 40th minute to leave the score 5-0 at the break.
Manager Xavi Hernández masterminded the tactical approach. He used fluid positioning between Reijnders and Donyell Malen that caused constant trouble for Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic’s defensive block. The home side’s early dominance allowed the technical staff to manage player fitness effectively as the game wore on.
In the opening period, the Dutch midfield orchestrated play with precise distributions. Denzel Dumfries provided constant energy down the right flank to pin back Kostas Tsimikas. Summerville and Cody Gakpo occupied opposing defenders Lazaros Rota and Mavropanos to open channels through the middle.
The visitors had briefly thought about cutting the deficit in the 24th minute when Fotis Ioannidis put the ball in the net.
Sports.fr said it was disallowed by VAR for a handball.
The Oranje maintained their intensity after the restart under referee Rohit Saggi. Timber scored his second of the night in the 59th minute from a cross delivered by Denzel Dumfries. Substitutes Gjivai Zechiel and Ian Maatsen entered the match in the second half as the team comfortably preserved a clean sheet with Bart Verbruggen in goal.
“Accepter les cookies”, said the interactive prompt on the match broadcast portal for viewers attempting to access live data streams.
The victory lifts the Netherlands to 11 points. They sit three ahead of both Greece and Germany with one match remaining in the group stage. The Dutch will travel to Berlin on Monday to face Germany, needing only a draw to secure their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.