Netherlands ease past North Macedonia to top Group B

The Netherlands have finished top of Euro 2020 Group B after a 3-0 win over North Macedonia.

Memphis Depay gave the Netherlands the lead at halftime before Georginio Wijnaldum netted twice to put the game beyond doubt.

North Macedonia record cap holder Goran Pandev was given a guard of honour by his teammates when he was substituted on his final appearance for his country.

The result ensures the Netherlands have qualified with a 100% record but the loss ended North Macedonia’s slim hopes of reaching the last 16.

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It was North Macedonia who had the ball in the net first when Ivan Trickovski beat Maarten Stekelenburg but the video assistant referee ruled it out for offside.

Depay gave the Netherlands the lead after a superb counter-attack. Donyell Malen found the new Barcelona signing who rolled it calmly into the net.

Netherlands captain Wijnaldum doubled the lead after the restart when he finished from close range after Depay’s lay off.

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And it was Wijnaldum who put the result beyond doubt on the hour mark when he pounced at a rebound to make it three.

The video assistant referee again ruled out a North Macedonia goal late on when Darko Churlinov was deemed offside after scoring from 15 yards.

In the group’s other match, Austria defeated Ukraine to book their place in the second round.

Cover Photo: “File:4-adidas-euro-2020-ball-min.jpg” by Ik ben groot is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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