Netherlands Beat Finland 2-0 in Opener

Netherlands started their World Cup qualifying journey with a great win. On Saturday, they beat Finland 2-0 with goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries.

Depay scored early in the 6th minute by taking advantage of a mistake from Finland’s defense, giving Netherlands the lead. Then, in the 23rd minute, Dumfries scored a second goal by finishing well at the back post after a cross from Cody Gakpo.

With this win, Netherlands moved to third place in Group G with 3 points. Poland is at the top with two wins, while Finland has 4 points from 3 games.

The Dutch team took control early by scoring the first goal and easily managed the second half. This was their first win in a World Cup qualifying opening match since 2012.

Captain Virgil van Dijk said, “The first game is always tough. We controlled most of the game and maybe could have won 3-0. We played well in the first hour, but the last 30 minutes could have been better.”

Depay scored from a chance created by Finland’s goalkeeper Kirinen’s bad chest pass. This was Depay’s 48th international goal, just two behind Robin van Persie’s record.

In the 23rd minute, Dumfries scored after Gakpo’s cross, giving Netherlands a safe 2-0 lead. In the second half, Depay missed a good chance to score again, and Gakpo’s shot hit the side net. Finland couldn’t make a comeback.

For Finland, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky played his 100th international match but couldn’t keep a clean sheet.