Greece came to Amsterdam level on points with the Netherlands and with a reputation as the group’s surprise package. They went home on the wrong end of one of the heaviest defeats Oranje have inflicted in years, a 7-0 rout that leaves Xavi Hernández’s side heading to Berlin with the group in their hands.
The visitors helped dig their own hole. Centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos gave the ball away twice in the opening minutes, and the second time Crysencio Summerville pounced to score after six minutes. From then on the hosts moved the ball at a tempo Greece simply could not match, with Joey Veerman and Frenkie de Jong running midfield and Denzel Dumfries tearing down the right.
Tijjani Reijnders was the main beneficiary. He struck in the 12th, 18th and 33rd minutes to complete a hat-trick inside the first half hour, feeding off passes from Veerman, Donyell Malen and Dumfries. Greece thought they had a goal of their own through Fotis Ioannidis in between, but a VAR review showed the ball had touched his hand.
Jurriën Timber added a fifth before the interval, his first goal for his country, and then a sixth just before the hour after goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis could only push a Dumfries cross into his path. Malen rounded things off in the 61st minute, again set up by the Real Madrid full-back, who had a hand in three of the goals. Reijnders and Cody Gakpo were withdrawn soon afterwards to rest legs.
The scoreline reshapes the table. The Netherlands now have 11 points, with Germany and Greece both on eight after Germany’s win in Serbia. That turns Monday’s trip to Jürgen Klopp’s Germany at Berlin’s Olympiastadion into a straight shootout for top spot, after the first meeting in Amsterdam finished 1-1 in September.
