Netherlands 3-0 Greece: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo strikes in routine win
Netherlands 3-0 Greece: Liverpool star Cody Gakpo strikes as Ronald Koeman’s side run riot in Eindhoven, as Man United flop Wout Weghorst also gets on scoresheet in Euro 2024 qualifying win
- Greece were comfortably beaten in Euro 2024 qualifying against Netherlands
- Cody Gakpo impressed – and scored – as Ronald Koeman’s men eased to victory
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off
Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands made it two wins from three in Euro 2024 qualifying as they swept Greece aside in Eindhoven.
Marten de Roon set the Oranje on their way after 17 minutes before Liverpool ace Cody Gakpo doubled the hosts’ advantage just after the half-hour mark.
Eight minutes later the result was beyond doubt when former Man United forward Wout Weghorst converted for 3-0.
They now have six points, ahead of Greece on goal difference, behind leaders France who have won five out of five.
The Dutch victory came after coach Koeman had challenged his team to show more of a steely edge after losing three of four games since he took charge at the start of the year.
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De Roon scored the first goal after 17 minutes as he thumped home a ball headed down by Denzel Dumfries from a corner to register his first international goal.
Gakpo was unmarked at the back post as the Greek defence was badly exposed and finished off a clever cross from Dumfries, who completed a hat-trick of assists as he provided Weghorst with a chipped cross to head home with a diving effort in the 39th minute.
MATCH FACTS
Netherlands: Flekken, Geertruida, van Dijk, Ake, Dumfries, de Roon, de Jong, Blind, Simons, Gakpo, Weghorst.
Subs: Hartman, Lang, Veerman, Noppert, Wieffer, Verbruggen, Berghuis, Reijnders, Malen, Koopmeiners, de Ligt, de Vrij.
Goals: De Roon (17), Gakpo (31), Weghorst (39)
Booked: Van Dijk, Ake
Greece: Vlachodimos, Rota, Retsos, Chatzidiakos, Tsimikas, Siopis, Kourbelis, Masouras, Bakasetas, Mantalos, Pavlidis.
Subs: Athanasiadis, Chatzigiovanis, Giakoumakis, Giannoulis, Ioannidis, Papanikolaou, Koulierakis, Fountas, Limnios, Paschalakis, Pelkas, Bouchalakis.
Dumfries could have had a goal of his own but was denied by the post in the 36th minute while Xavi Simons swerving shot in the 28th minute produced a miraculous one-handed stop from Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
The second half was light on chances but the damage was done as the Greeks suffered their heaviest defeat since Gustavo Poyet took over as coach some 18 months ago.
The Dutch face a key qualifier in Dublin on Sunday against Ireland, who lost 2-0 to France on Thursday. Greece host Gibraltar in Athens on Sunday.
France, who comprehensively beat the Dutch in the opening game, still top the group with a 100 per cent record after a fifth successive victory following their 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland, with Aurelien Tchouameni and Marcus Thuram scoring.
But the Netherlands have now moved in behind them after a second successive victory.
Albania maintained their challenge in Group E as a 1-1 draw with leaders Czech Republic kept them ahead of Poland.
Nedim Bajrami’s 66th-minute goal cancelled out Vaclav Cerny’s opener to earn them a point in Prague, while Robert Lewandowski scored twice – one a penalty – as the Poles beat Faroe Islands 2-0.
Hungary came from behind to beat Serbia 2-1 and open up a three-point cushion at the top of Group G, as Barnabas Varga and Willi Orban scored within three first-half minutes of each other as they recovered from Atila Szalai’s early own goal.
Lithuania’s Fedor Cernych scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw to damage Montenegro’s chances after Nikola Krstovic and Stefan Savic had struck late in the game to take the lead.
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