The Netherlands thrashed Greece 7-0 in Amsterdam and took a major step towards the quarter-finals of the Nations League. The hosts decided the match in the first half, when they scored five goals, while Tijjani Reijnders completed a hat-trick.
Quinten Timber opened the scoring in the sixth minute after a mistake in the Greek defence. Reijnders scored in the 12th, 18th and 33rd minutes, while Jurriën Timber added the fifth goal in the 40th. After the break, Timber scored again before Donyell Malen completed the final score in the 62nd minute.
For Reijnders, this was the Netherlands’ first hat-trick since Calvin Stengs’ against Gibraltar in November 2023. The midfielder also became the first Dutch footballer to score three goals in one half since Marco van Basten in 1990.
Xavi: I’m not surprised
Netherlands head coach Xavi Hernández said the strong performance had not surprised him. “I saw it in training. Everyone understood each other in the first half,” he said after the match.
The Spanish coach described the opening 45 minutes as “perfect,” highlighting the exploitation of space as the main reason for the success. He praised Reijnders and Malen, as well as the midfield pairing of Frenkie de Jong – Joey Veerman, who started together for the national team for the first time.
De Jong remained in the dressing room at half-time because of back pain he had already been feeling before the start of the match. According to Xavi, there is no serious reason for concern. “It was only one match. We are only just beginning,” he warned, turning attention to the game against Germany on 16 November in Berlin.
Jovanović: We couldn’t get back into the game
Ivan Jovanović admitted that Greece had not been prepared for the hosts’ early pressure. “When you are 0-3 down after 19 minutes, it is a shock that we were unable to recover from,” the coach said.
Jovanović said the defeat had disappointed both the supporters at the stadium and those who watched the match. “We have to make an effort over the next three days to prepare as well as possible for the match against Serbia,” he added.
According to Dutch public broadcaster NOS, Greece’s defeat was the national team’s heaviest in decades. Before the match, Greece had made a good impression in the group, but after the thrashing they were left with eight points and must look for a response against Serbia on 16 November.
“A football show” versus “a nightmare evening”
In the Netherlands, the reactions were overwhelmingly enthusiastic. NOS described the match as a football show, while analysts Ibrahim Afellay and Youri Mulder praised the quick combinations, off-the-ball movement and Xavi’s clear game plan. At half-time, Afellay said the performance resembled “a farewell match,” with the hosts already leading 5-0.
In Greece, the tone was the opposite. “Gazzetta” described the match as an unprecedented nightmare and one of the darkest evenings for Greek football in a long time. Other media outlets, including SDNA, “To10,” “Ta Nea” and “Fos,” described the performance as humiliating, shameful and tragic, acknowledging the quality of the Netherlands but not accepting it as an excuse for the collapse of the Greek team.
Sources: nos.nl, vi.nl, protothema.gr