Netherlands 4-0 Hungary: Hosts cruise into Nations League quarter-finals

The Netherlands booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Nations League with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Hungary on Saturday.

Two first-half penalties had put the hosts in control before Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners secured second place in Group A3 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

A medical emergency on the Hungary bench saw the game suspended after eight minutes, but play resumed with a Netherlands penalty after a Tamas Nikitscher handball, and Wout Weghorst confidently converted.

Cody Gakpo then doubled their lead from the spot in first-half stoppage time when Zsolt Nagy tripped Donyell Malen in the box, and Denes Dibusz was sent the wrong way once more.

Weghorst whipped a delightful, long-range curler against the crossbar shortly after the restart, but Dumfries would get their third in the 64th minute with a drilled finish across goal into the far-bottom corner.

Koopmeiners rounded off the scoring late on, meeting Dumfries’ inch-perfect cross to power a header past Dibusz and in at the far post, and was denied a second moments later by the post.

Secured a spot in the #NationsLeague quarter-finals! #NothingLikeOranje #NEDHUN pic.twitter.com/nF6bqwCUKF

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) November 16, 2024

Data Debrief: Oranje march on

The Netherlands knew they needed to avoid defeat to make it to the last eight in the Nations League, but Ronald Koeman’s side were not going to settle.

They were on the attack from the very start, registering 22 shots as they created 2.92 expected goals.

Dumfries was at the heart of both goals after half-time, and he became the second player in history to score each of his first nine international goals for the Netherlands in the second half, after Pierre van Hooijdonk (also nine).