Netherlands thrash Greece 7-0 in Nations League, Reijnders scores hat-trick

Netherlands dominate Amsterdam

The Netherlands beat Greece 7-0 on Friday, 13 November, at the Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam, in the fifth matchday of the Nations League league phase. Only three teams had previously won a match in the competition by a margin that wide, which makes the result rare in a tournament still in its short history. Greece had entered the night with two wins and two draws from its first four matches, and it had taken points from Germany and the Netherlands earlier in the campaign. Xavi Hernandez, unbeaten since taking charge of the Dutch side, saw his team move alone to the top of League A, Group 2. Italian outlet Fanpage linked his appointment to the Catalan and Cruyff traditions, and the defeat left a Greek side that had been spoken of as renewed looking badly exposed.

How the goals came

Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring in the sixth minute, and Tijjani Reijnders then struck in the 12th and 18th minutes. He completed a classic hat-trick in the 33rd minute, leaving the Netherlands ahead 4-0 at that point. Jurriën Timber scored in the 40th minute, finishing at close range after Donyell Malen crossed from the right, and the hosts went in at half-time 5-0 up. Timber struck again in the 59th minute, and Malen scored the seventh in the 61st minute, just over an hour into the match. Malen's cross for Timber was his second assist of the night, after he had also set up one of Reijnders' goals. The Greek goalkeeper conceded five times before the break, and the two second-half goals came after Timber and Malen were already on the scoresheet.

Greece and the group table

Greece now has eight points and stays second in Group 2, level with Germany on the same total. The Netherlands led the group on 11 points before the final round, and Serbia sit fourth without a single point. RTBF reported that Greece remains in contention for a place in the Final 8, although it has to make up ground on the group leaders. Interia described the 7-0 defeat as one of the most painful in Greece's history, and noted that the team had earlier beaten Germany and drawn with them.

Netherlands11

Greece8

Germany8

Serbia0

Netherlands

11 points

Greece

8 points

Germany

8 points

Serbia

0 points

Data from the article text

Greece's campaign under scrutiny

Before the match Greece had been seen as a contender in the group alongside Germany and the Netherlands, which were considered the favourites. Interia wrote that the Greek side seemed to run out of energy against the Dutch after a promising start to the tournament. Greece's first four matches had produced two wins and two draws, and the team had even taken a point from the Netherlands in October. Coach Ivan Jovanović saw his side concede seven goals in one night, a result that now dominates the group table discussion. The Netherlands go into the final round of the league phase with the lead, while Greece must still secure its position for the Final 8.