Netherlands booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 4-0 victory over Hungary in Saturday night's contest in Group 3 of League A.
Ronald Koeman's side entered the match level on points with third-placed Hungary, but their win has moved them three points clear of their opponents in the section with just one game left, and they cannot be caught on the final matchday due to their superior head-to-head record against Trikolor.
A medical emergency on the Hungary bench led to the match being stopped in the seventh minute, with the person in question, later identified to be Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai, receiving medical treatment in the dug-out before being taken down the tunnel.
"Adam Szalai was taken ill in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary match, but his condition is stable and he is conscious. Minutes ago he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Amsterdam for examination," read a statement from the Hungarian Football Federation not long after the incident.
Shortly after the game resumed, Netherlands were awarded a penalty, with Tamas Nikitscher adjudged to have handled inside the box following intervention from VAR, and Wout Weghorst dispatched his spot kick to send the hosts into the lead.
Tijjani Reijnders and Donyell Malen had chances to add to the scoring in the period that followed, but both players found Hungary goalkeeper Denes Dibusz in excellent form.
Netherlands were not to be denied, though, with the hosts registering a second in the 12th minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half through Cody Gakpo, who converted his team's second penalty of the match after a foul from Zsolt Nagy.
Denzel Dumfries then made it 3-0 in the 64th minute with a volley from inside the penalty box, before Teun Koopmeiners added a fourth late on, with Netherlands running out clear winners in the Nations League contest.
NETHERLANDS VS. HUNGARY HIGHLIGHTS
9th min: Netherlands 1-0 Hungary (Wout Weghorst)
Netherlands take the lead in the ninth minute of the match, as Weghorst converts from the penalty spot after Nikitscher had been penalised for a handball inside the box; the home side strike first in the early exchanges here.
45th min+12: Netherlands 2-0 Hungary (Cody Gakpo)
Netherlands double their lead in the final stages of the first period in Amsterdam, and the goal comes from Gakpo, as the Liverpool striker scores the team's second penalty of the match following a foul from Nagy.
64th min: Netherlands 3-0 Hungary (Denzel Dumfries)
The home side score a third in the 64th minute and surely secure all three points, with the goal coming from Dumfries, who finds the bottom corner with a volley after meeting a dropping ball inside the Hungary box.
86th min: Netherlands 4-0 Hungary (Teun Koopmeiners)
Netherlands score their fourth in the final exchanges of the contest, with Koopmeiners heading a cross from the excellent Dumfries into the back of the net; Dumfries has been the star of the show for the home team.
MAN OF THE MATCH - DENZEL DUMFRIES
Dumfries' standout moment came in the 64th minute, when he found the back of the net with an excellent volley, but it was the right-back's all-round performance that earns him the man-of-the-match award.
The 28-year-old was a constant threat down the right for the home side, providing a late assist for Koopmeiners, while he was also defensively excellent, with Hungary's forwards struggling to get any change out of the Inter Milan defender.
NETHERLANDS VS. HUNGARY MATCH STATS
Possession: Netherlands 73%-27% Hungary
Shots: Netherlands 22-11 Hungary
Shots on target: Netherlands 11-2 Hungary
Corners: Netherlands 5-4 Hungary
Fouls: Netherlands 10-13 Hungary
WHAT NEXT?
Netherlands now have a pressure-free contest against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday night, with Koeman's side confirmed in second spot and their opponents certain to finish at the bottom of the section.
Hungary, meanwhile, will finish third regardless of what happens in their final game against section winners Germany on Tuesday, with Marco Rossi's side therefore preparing for a relegation playoff, as they bid to remain in League A.
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