Netherlands top of Group C is no surprise: Austria and Ukraine battle for second place

In Group C, the Netherlands and Austria played a well-fought game to round up Matchday 2. Following the result, the Dutch tops Group C while the Austrians and Ukrainians are left to fight it out for second and third place.

Match Information

Netherlands 2-0 Austria

Goalscorers

Memphis Depay 11′ (PK) – Netherlands
Denzel Dumfries 67′ – Netherlands

Man of the Match

Denzel Dumfries – Netherlands

Match stats

Netherlands 2-0 Austria match recap

In a match that was supposed to pretty much define Group C, Netherlands took the advantage early in the game, with a penalty scored by Memphis Depay in the 11th minute.

Austria were not precise enough in attack which cost them the result. They registered eight shots at goal with none hitting the target. A 0% shot accuracy is a big cause for concern for Franco Foda.

Despite the firepower of Marcel Sabitzer, Michael Gregoritsch and Chrstoph Baumgartner available, the absents of Marko Arnautovic was surely felt.

Alaba, who was the best player for Austria last game, had a tough outing against the Dutch, being the reason for the penalty in the early stages and his country going down by one goal.

For the Dutch, more of the same, please. Captain Georginio Wijnaldum and Frenkie de Jong pulled the strings in the middle of the park and to great effect.

The real moment of brilliance came when one of the standout players for the Dutch, Denzel Dumfries, scored the second and final goal of the game. It was a well-constructed goal that utilized the raw and blistering pace Holland has in abundance.

Netherlands Player Ratings

Maarten Stekelenburg – 6; Denzel Dumfries – 8; Stefan de Vrij – 6; Matthijs de Ligt – 7; Daley Blind – 6; Patrick van Aanholt – 6; Marten de Roon – 6; Georginio Wijnaldum – 8; Frenkie de Jong – 8; Wouth Weghorst – 7; Memphis Depay – 8

Subs: Nathan Ake – 6; Donyell Malen – 7; Owen Wijndal – 6; Ryan Gravenberch – 6, Luuk de Jong – 5

Austria Player Ratings

Daniel Bachmann – 6; Stefan Lainer – 4; Aleksandar Dragovic – 4; Martin Hinteregger – 5; Andreas Ulmer– 5; Chrstoph Baumgartner – 4; Xaver Schlager– 6; Konrad Laimer – 5; David Alaba – 4; Michael Gregoritsch – 3; Marcel Sabitzer – 4

Subs: Sasa Kalajdzic – 6; Florian Grillitsch – 5; Valentino Lazaro – 5.5; Philipp Lienhart – 5; Karim Onisiwo – 5

Netherlands’ next match will be against North Macedonia on June 21st. This game can get complicated since North Macedonia would give everything to finish the tournament with at least one victory.

However, the Dutch should be winning this game with ease and collect three straight victories in from the group stages. Although, Frank de Boer would probably try to give some players game time since they are already through to the next round. De Ligt came back into the starting XI and played a superb game.

Players such as Dumfries, De Jong, Depay and Wijnaldum looked very strong, carrying their great form from the first match into the second win.

Austria’s next match is against Ukraine on June 21st, this game is crucial to see which team would end up in the 2nd spot of the group. For sure it is a must-watch encounter since it’s going to be a Group decider.