Netherlands Thrashes Greece 7-0; Germany Revives Nations League Hopes
The Dutch national team achieved a sweeping 7-0 victory over their guest, Greece, while the German team defeated their host, Serbia, 3-1, on Friday, in the fifth round of Group B of the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.
The Netherlands strengthened its group lead, raising its points to 11 and moving a big step closer to qualifying for the next round. Meanwhile, Greece's points remained frozen at 8 in second place, ahead of Germany (also on 8 points in third place) due to the head-to-head record.
In Amsterdam, the Dutch team established control early, with Crysencio Summerville opening the scoring in the sixth minute, before Tijjani Reijnders added the second goal 6 minutes later.
Reijnders continued his brilliant performance, scoring two more goals in the 18th and 33rd minutes to complete his personal hat-trick and become the star of the match.
Before the end of the first half, Jurriën Timber extended the hosts' lead by scoring the fifth goal in the 40th minute. He then added the sixth goal in the 59th minute, before Donyell Malen capped off the scoring festival just two minutes later, netting the seventh goal in the 61st minute.
Germany Defeats Serbia to Keep Qualification Hopes Alive
In Belgrade, the German team kept its hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive after securing a valuable 3-1 victory over their Serbian hosts.
The Germans opened the scoring early with an own goal from Srđan Babić in the third minute, and Florian Wirtz doubled the lead in the 14th minute.
In the second half, Brajan Gruda added Germany's third goal in the 50th minute, before Babić reduced the deficit for Serbia in the 59th minute, this time scoring in the opponent's net.
The final minutes saw two Serbian players sent off. The referee showed a red card to Vanja Dragović in the 77th minute for a foul on Joshua Kimmich, before Andrija Živković received the same card in the 89th minute.
With these results, the Netherlands leads the group with 11 points, followed by Greece and Germany with 8 points each, with the Greek team ahead on the head-to-head record, while Serbia remains in last place.
All eyes are on the final round scheduled for next Monday, where Germany will host the Netherlands in a decisive showdown, while Serbia will be guests to Greece, in a battle for the qualification spot to the next round.
Source: German
