GINI’S PURE GENIUS
Wijnaldum a winner:
Don’t shout it from the rooftops, but this Dutch class of 2021 could turn out to be real clever clogs. As two-goal skipper Gini Wijnaldum suppressed North Macedonia’s spirited resistance, Frank de Boer’s men completed a 100 percent record in Group C and now head for knockout business in Budapest with a spring in their step.
In truth, they still do not look watertight at the back, and for the first 45 minutes they rode their luck in the Johan Cruyff Arena. But when they break at speed, De Boer’s darling clementines are easy on the eye – and eight goals in three games cannot be bad.
The early evidence in Amsterdam was unconvincing, though. North Macedonia’s Ivan Trichkovski slotted Goran Pandev’s pass beyond Maarten Stekelenburg, but Holland were reprieved by a fractional offside call.
When Pandev – given a guard of honour after winning his 122nd and final cap at the age of 37 – called the tune again, Aleksandar Trajkovski’s low shot cannoned off the inside of a post to safety.
If the wooden-spoonists had the sinking feeling their luck was out, their suspicions were not misplaced.
Mere seconds after Pandev had been wiped out by Daley Blind’s studs-up challenge just outside the Dutch box, the home side broke upfield and Memphis Depay swept home a cut-back from PSV’s Arsenal academy graduate Donyell Malen.
Inexplicably, the VAR check saw no undue force in Blind’s challenge and the goal against the run of play, was allowed to stand.
The decisions stacking up in Holland’s favour rivalled Olympic boxing scorecards for favouritism.
But when Depay broke clear again and picked out Wijnaldum to make it 2-0 from four yards out six minutes after the break, the Oranje had breathing space.
Then Barcelona-bound Depay, sent clear by Malen’s clever flick, was denied by goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski – but Wijnaldum devoured the rebound, and the floodgates could have opened in the final half-hour.
But apart from substitute Wout Weghorst rattling the bar with his first touch, Dutch courage appeared to evaporate – and De Boer’s charges settled for comfortable victory instead of a rout.
NORTH MACEDONIA (4-4-2): Dimitrievski 6; S Ristovski 6, Velkovski 5, Musliu 5, Alioski 6; Bardhi 5 (Stojanovski 78), Ademi 6 (Nikolov 79), Trichkovski 7 (Churlinov 56, 5), Elmas 6; Trajkovski 7 (Hasani 68, 5), Pandev 8 (Kostadinov 69, 5). HOLLAND (3-5-2): Stekelenburg 6; De Vrij 6 (Timber 46, 6), De Ligt 7, Blind 6; Dumfries 6 (Berghuis 46, 7), F de Jong 8 (Gakpo 79), Wijnaldum 8, Gravenberch 6, Van Aanholt 6; Depay 7 (Weghorst 66, 6), Malen 7 (Promes 66, 6). Goals: Depay 24, Wijnaldum 51, 58.