Greece arrived at the Johan Cruijff ArenA level with the Netherlands on eight points, the only team in Group A2 that had kept pace with Oranje through four matches. They left on the wrong end of a seven-goal thrashing that had been settled, in all but ceremony, before the hour.

Crysencio Summerville struck first in the sixth minute. Then came Reijnders. The Al-Qadsiah midfielder scored in the 12th, 18th and 33rd minutes, the hat-trick completed from a Dumfries cross. Jurriën Timber headed the fifth on 40 minutes, returned for a second after the break, and Donyell Malen rounded off the scoring in the 61st minute from another Dumfries delivery.

Dumfries lived in the Greek half

Dumfries, who plays his club football at Real Madrid, spent the night camped in the attacking third and was never picked up. The right wing-back played all 90 minutes, registered two assists, three key passes, three shots and ten carries according to Sports Dunia’s match ratings, with the outlet noting that Greece “never solved him” from his flank.

Reijnders was the headline name. A hat-trick inside 33 minutes from central midfield is rare in any fixture, let alone against a side that had conceded only three goals across the group stage until Friday.

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The heaviest win of Xavi’s reign

The scoreline is the heaviest of Xavi Hernández’s short reign. The 46-year-old former Barcelona midfielder was handed the Netherlands job on 12 August on a contract running to the 2030 World Cup, succeeding Ronald Koeman after the Oranje’s last-32 exit to Morocco at the summer’s World Cup. He is the first non-Dutch coach of the men’s national team since 1978.

His appointment had not been the KNVB’s first instinct, with Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag and Peter Bosz all ruling themselves out before the federation turned to the Spaniard. A 7-0 win over the group’s co-leaders is the sort of evening that quietens that conversation.

Jovanović had promised a response

Ivan Jovanović’s side had conceded only three goals in their first four Nations League fixtures and arrived in Amsterdam believing top spot was in reach. The Serbian coach had told reporters on the eve of the match that his players had to “respond to the last two games” after creating “an opportunity to potentially have higher goals than we expected at the beginning of the process”, as quoted by Greek City Times.

Five goals in 40 minutes was not the response he had in mind. Greece’s defensive record for the group ended the night at 10 goals conceded in five games, seven of them from Friday alone.

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A point in Berlin would seal it

The Netherlands travel to the Olympiastadion on Monday to face Germany in the final group matchday. Oranje go in top of Group A2 on goal difference and need only a draw to seal first place and a Nations League quarter-final spot.

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