Captain Virgil van Dijk scored a penalty to help the Netherlands win 1-0 against Greece in Group B of Euro 2024 qualifying.

*Scorer: Van Dijk 90’+3.

In the 89th minute, striker Vangelis Pavlidis pulled down defender Denzel Dumfries in the home penalty area, causing the referee to blоw a penalty for the Netherlands. Van Dijk missed the penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup against Argentina, but still decided to take the penalty in Athens. He shot into the middle of the goal, bringing in three important points to help the Netherlands surpass Greece to move to second place in Group B.

Van Dijk (right) celebrates scoring against Greece at Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens on the evening of October 16, 2023. Photo: ANP

Before Van Dijk kicked, many blue laser lights shone into his eyes for the purpose of causing distraction. After putting the ball into the net, the 32-year-old midfielder pointed to his ear and looked at the then-silent home crowd.

The Netherlands also received a penalty in the first half. At that time, striker Wout Weghorst scored 11 meters. He was caught by the laser light and possibly distracted, so he did not shoot dangerously enough to the bottom right corner and was caught by goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

The former Man Utd striker was unlucky to score in this match, as he also kιcked into the net right before the penalty kιck. However, Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez did not give the Netherlands the advantage and blew a penalty as soon as Van Dijk was pulled down in the penalty area.

Even though they won, the away team’s performance was not highly appreciated. Besides the long shots from AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, or the opportunity for Xavi Simons at the beginning of the second half, the Netherlands had no more notable situations despite keeping the ball 60% of the time. Coach Ronald Koeman’s 4-2-3-1 system has not been very effective, and their victory was considered “lucky” by Eurosport .

Three points in Athens nonetheless help the Netherlands put one foot in the Euro 2024 finals. They are ranked second in Group B with 12 points, more than Greece in the head-to-head score. However, the Netherlands has two more matches, against Ireland and Gibraltar, and Greece only plays one more match against France. The opportunity to win a direct spot with Gus Poyet and his team is almost gone, but they will still be able to play in the final round.

The Euro qualifying round takes place from March 23, 2023 to March 26, 2024, including 53 teams divided into 10 groups, seven groups of five teams and three groups of six teams. Teams compete in a double round robin in the group, selecting the top two teams from each group to enter the final round with host Germany. The remaining three spots are selected based on the qualifying round between teams that perform well in the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League. The final round will include 24 teams, competing from June 14 to July 14, 2024 in Germany.