Tijjani Reijnders netted a brilliant first-half hat-trick as the Netherlands thrashed Greece 7-0 in the UEFA Nations League on Friday. Simultaneously, Germany bolstered their standing with a 3-1 victory away to Serbia in the other Group A2 fixture. The Dutch dominance was immediate and overwhelming, leaving the visitors struggling to contain a relentless attacking display.
Dutch Tactical Dominance
Greece and the Netherlands both entered the match unbeaten, yet the Dutch quickly dismantled their opposition.
The scoring started in the sixth minute when Greece lost possession near their own penalty area; a poorly controlled ball by defender Konstantinos Mavropanos fell to Crysencio Summerville, who slipped the ball past the keeper.
Tijjani Reijnders then took command of the match, beginning his historic run in the 12th minute when Joey Veerman threaded a pass through to him, allowing Reijnders to fire into the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard area.
Six minutes later, Reijnders doubled his tally by finishing off a precise cross from Donyell Malen.
- Reijnders completed his hat-trick with a tap-in following a header from Denzel Dumfries in the six-yard box.
- Jurrien Timber scored the fifth goal before the break and added a second just before the hour mark.
- Donyell Malen capped the 7-0 rout with a late goal following a neat assist from Dumfries.
Germany’s Success in Belgrade
Jurgen Klopp’s Germany team faced testing conditions under heavy rain in Belgrade. Although Klopp experimented with a 44-man roster split across two squads during this window, his chosen starting 11 maintained control throughout the first half. Germany took a third-minute lead when a Kai Havertz header deflected off Serbia’s Srdan Babic into the net. Florian Wirtz extended the lead 11 minutes later by converting a rebound after Havertz’s initial shot was parried by keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Debutant Brajan Gruda added a third goal five minutes after the break with a solo effort, driving forward from inside his own half before drilling a low shot into the corner. While Babic pulled one back for Serbia, the hosts finished the match with nine men following red cards for Vanja Dragojevic and substitute Andrija Zivkovic. Joshua Kimmich also saw an effort ruled out for offside as Germany pressed for further goals.
Qualification Implications and Wider Nations League Results
The group standings now leave three teams fighting for two quarterfinal places. The Netherlands lead the table with 11 points, while Germany and Greece are locked on eight points each. The upcoming matchday is set to be decisive, as Germany hosts the Netherlands in Berlin while Greece faces a Serbian side that has lost all five of their group fixtures. But the point was enough for the hosts to clinch promotion, slovakia were held to a 2-2 draw at home by the Faroe Islands in Group C3.
Elsewhere in the Nations League, other nations celebrated significant milestones
- Switzerland earned promotion to League A after a 0-0 draw against Slovenia in Group B1.
- Scotland secured a 2-1 win over North Macedonia, featuring a double from John McGinn and a record-equalling 102nd appearance for captain Andy Robertson, matching Kenny Dalglish.
- Slovakia clinched promotion from Group C3 despite a 2-2 draw with the Faroe Islands.
- Iceland dominated Bulgaria 5-0 in Group C4, bolstered by a hat-trick from Andri Gudjohnsen.
