The Netherlands booked a comfortable 3-0 win over Georgia on Sunday in Enschede in their last match before the start of the European Championships.
Last Wednesday, the Dutch team had a disappointing display against Scotland in Faro (2-2) during their training camp in Portugal. Head coach Frank de Boer used the encounter with Georgia to further develop his 5-3-2 system, the system he intends to play at Euro 2020.
Compared to the match against Scotland, Daley Blind, back from injury, started over the injured Matthijs de Ligt as one of the central defenders, while the 38-year-old Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg replaced Tim Krul. One of the two goalkeepers will be the first goalkeeper at the European Championships, in absence of Jasper Cillessen, who tested positive for COVID-19 and was left out of the squad.
In a disappointing first half, Memphis Depay produced the only goal from the penalty spot, after a foul on Denzel Dumfries had led to the penalty. In the second half, Depay assisted Wout Weghorst for his first goal for the national team, while 19-year-old Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch headed in the 3-0 goal, also his first goal for the 'Oranje'.
The performance was better than against Scotland, but perhaps not convincing enough to be very confident ahead of the tournament. De Boer had a different opinion. "We are ready," the Netherlands coach said afterward. "There is still room to improve, but I could see from the happy faces of the players that they think the same."
Euro 2020 starts for The Netherlands against Ukraine on June 13, followed by matches against Austria on June 17 and North Macedonia on June 21, all to be played at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.
