Memphis Depay netted his third goal in two games for the Netherlands as they cruised past Georgia in their final prep game before Euro 2020.
Depay, who scored twice in a friendly win over Scotland on Wednesday, slotted home a penalty after Denzel Dumfries was brought down in the box in the 10th minute to give the Netherlands the lead.
Striker Wout Weghorst added a second for the Oranje with a neat finish from a Depay pass. This was the towering striker’s first international goal.
Ajax teenager Ryan Gravenberch followed up a saved Depay shot to head home the third in what was a dominant display by the footballing giants. Memphis stood out once again and will be the crucial man for the Dutch, heading into Europe’s biggest continental competition.
The Netherlands kick off their Euro 2020 campaign against Ukraine on 13 June.
Ranked 16th in the FIFA world rankings currently, Frank de Boer’s side are favourites to progress from Group C, which also features Austria and North Macedonia.
The Dutch national team during the official goodbye moment after the friendly match between the Netherlands and Georgia. (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
The Netherlands side that featured against Georgia was the closest to the strongest lineup they could field at the Euros.
The Dutch will fancy their chances since they will be playing at home in Amsterdam in their opening game.
The Dutch starting lineup will feature Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, Georginio Wijnaldum – who is out of contract at Liverpool this summer – and forward Depay who is also a free agent since his contract is running out with Lyon.
All three of them could unite for club duty as well with Wijnaldum and Depay both tipped to sign for Barcelona given that Dutchman Ronald Koeman is the current head coach of the Catalans.
It was a routine performance for the Dutch as Depay could have had a second goal but saw his long-range drive tipped over by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria.
Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg started his first international game since November 2016 at the age of 38 and was called up to the Euros squad after first-choice keeper Jasper Cillessen tested positive for COVID-19.
The veteran goalkeeper made one smart save early on to deny Saba Lobzahanidze after the forward had broken clear of the Netherlands defence. Jambul Jighauri’s effort from range came back off the crossbar as Stekelenburg managed to hold onto a clean sheet.
The only notable absentee for the Netherlands was Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, who suffered a groin injury in training on Saturday. The Dutch will also miss Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk who has been out for almost a year with an injury.
