Overview
- The Netherlands recovered to draw 2-2 in Thessaloniki on Thursday after Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgos Masouras put Greece 2-0 up and Virgil van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders scored in the second half.
- Xavi replaced key players at half-time, introducing Noa Lang, Tijjani Reijnders and Ryan Gravenberch, a switch that raised tempo and helped turn the game around.
- Two Dutch goals were ruled out for offside after VAR reviews, including a close-range Denzel Dumfries finish, which left the visitors relying on a late rebound finish from Reijnders.
- The draw leaves Greece top of Nations League Group A2 on seven points and the Netherlands second on five points, with the Dutch preparing to host Serbia in their final match of the international break.
- The international window also saw off-field disruption when the Republic of Ireland’s game with Austria was briefly suspended after tennis balls bearing the Palestinian flag were thrown onto the pitch, showing political protests have begun to interrupt fixtures.