Netherland 3-0 Greece: Cody Gakpo On Target As Oranje Coast To A Win

The Netherlands defeated Greece 3-0 at the Philips Stadion, thanks to goals from Marten de Roon, Cody Gakpo, and Wout Weghorst. The victory moves Ronald Koeman’s team to a two-win record in Group B of Euro 2024 qualifying.

Wout Weghorst of Holland celebrates the 2-0 victory over Greece during the European Championship Qualifying match in Group B on September 7, 2023, at the Phillips stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Marten de Roon opened the scoring from a corner, reacting quickest to a deflected Denzel Dumfries knockdown. The subtle deflection robbed Dumfries of an assist, but he would have two before the first half was over.

First, he crossed to an unmarked Gakpo, who had time to chest and fire home, and eight minutes later Dumfries crossed for a flying Wout Weghorst to head in.

It was 3-0 before the break, but it could have been more if not for Odysseas Vlachodimos’ fast response to keep away a deflected Xavi Simons shot and the post, which denied Dumfries when he was given space to shoot 25 yards from goal.

The Dutch have six points from three games and have moved ahead of Greece in Group B on goal differential. Both are nine points behind France, who has played one more game than Greece and two more than the Netherlands.

Going into this game, the Dutch manager was under increasing pressure. With only one win in four matches since resuming management of the squad during the World Cup, which came against Gibraltar, he was off to a difficult start, and his team selection was widely scrutinized.

This outcome alleviates much of the load. So should the nature of the second and third goals, both of which came at the culmination of precise plays.

You are only as good as your previous result, and if the Netherlands can’t follow this up with a win in Dublin on Sunday, you can guarantee Koeman’s detractors will be out in force again, but for now, this much-needed victory buys the manager time and goodwill.