After 2 consecutive convincing victories (4-2 against Germany and 4-0 against Estonia), the Dutch team has a great opportunity to rise to the top of Group C of EURO 2020 qualifiers when they only have to host North Ailen at home at Johan Cruyff Arena, in the 5th round of matches.
Coach Ronald Koeman's students are expected to win all 3 points in a smooth way against opponents who are inferior in all aspects in terms of strength.
The Netherlands still played with all the talent in all 3 lines. Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt continued to attack goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, Frenkie de Jong and Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield while Memphis Deigtpay was still the leader of the attack.
With a better squad playing at home at De Kuip, the Netherlands flooded up to attack right after the opening whistle. However, against a team from Northern Ailen, they actively played defensively in large numbers, making it very difficult for Depay and his teammates to approach the goal.
Having to play with an opponent with up to 10 players at home, the Netherlands played quite leisurely, only their attacks were not fast enough and the innovation was enough to disrupt the opponent's defense.
It was not until the final official minute of the first half that Wijnaldum was able to show his talent for goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell for the first time.
Facing the uncomfortable playing style of Bac Ailen, the Netherlands played with a deadlock despite superior ball control (over 70%). In the middle of the second half, to improve the situation, coach Ronald Koeman immediately sent Van De Beek and Malen onto the field in the 66th minute to replace De Roon and Babel.
Since then, the Netherlands' attacks have become more noticeable. However, while still struggling to find a goal, they were suddenly splashed with a bucket of cold water in the 75th minute. In a rare attack, the striker's replacement, Magennis, defeated both De Ligt and Cillessen with a dangerous header to open the score.
Despite being behind, luckily for the Netherlands, they have Depay, who is showing extremely high performance in the national team jersey. 5 minutes after the home team conceded, Depay received a cross from Donyell Malen and quickly finished, bringing home an equalizer.
Not stopping there, the Dutch players' tireless attacking efforts continued to be rewarded in the first minute of extra time. Striker coming on as a substitute, Luuk de Jong took advantage of the foul of the Northern Ailen defender to finish close to the goal to increase the score to 2-1.
With the match only counted in seconds, it was another De Jong's turn, Frenkie De Jong, to make the difference with a breakthrough straight into the opponent's penalty area. Thanks to De Jong's decisive pass, Depay had the opportunity to prepare for the far corner of the North Ailen goal to set the score at 3-1.
Winning the match, the Netherlands had 12 points after 5 rounds, rising to the top of Group C. This position was shared with Germany because both teams had equal points and coefficients.
