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.
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