The Netherlands handed Greece one of the heaviest defeats in its football history on Friday, winning 7-0 in the UEFA Nations League in Amsterdam. Tijjani Reijnders scored a first-half hat trick as the Dutch delivered a dominant performance.
The result put the Netherlands in control of Group A2 ahead of the final round of matches. Greece, however, still has a chance to reach the quarter-finals.
Reijnders leads Dutch attacking display
The Netherlands opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Crysencio Summerville took advantage of a defensive mistake to put the hosts ahead.
Reijnders then took center stage. The midfielder scored in the 12th, 18th, and 33rd minutes to complete his hat trick before half-time.
Jurriën Timber added the Netherlands’ fifth goal in the 40th minute. The hosts went into the break with a commanding 5-0 lead.
Greece briefly appeared to have a response when Fotis Ioannidis found the net in the first half. However, officials disallowed the goal after a video review for handball.
Timber scored again in the 59th minute, before Donyell Malen completed the 7-0 victory two minutes later.
The result matched the largest winning margin in Nations League history, according to UEFA. The Dutch controlled the match and left Greece with little opportunity to recover.
Greece faces decisive final match
The defeat leaves Greece with eight points after five matches in Group A2. The Netherlands leads the group with 11 points, while Germany also has eight.
The top two teams will advance to the Nations League quarter-finals. Greece therefore enters the final round with its qualification hopes still alive.
Greece will host Serbia in Volos on Monday, November 16. At the same time, Germany will face the Netherlands in Berlin.
The final results will determine which two teams progress from the group. After a painful night in Amsterdam, Greece must regroup quickly and deliver a strong performance in its last match.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
