Pro Shots
NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 20:37
The Dutch Juniors completed the European Championship qualifying series with a perfect score on Monday evening by beating Sweden 3-0.
Ten wins from ten European Championship qualifying matches makes 30 points. That was the goal for the Dutch Juniors in the Nijmegen Goffert Stadium. After all, coach Michael Reiziger’s team had already qualified for the European Championships in Slovakia in June next year.
And after less than two minutes, the KNVB’s highest youth team was well on its way to achieving that goal. Thanks to a beautifully delivered cross from left back Neraysho Kasanwirjo, headed in by striker Emanuel Emegha of RC Strasbourg: 1-0.
Fifteen minutes later, Rav van den Berg gave the Dutch Juniors a comfortable 2-0 lead. The Middlesbrough defender luckily got the ball at his feet and calmly pressed with the inside edge.
Injury Zekiel
On the other hand, Gjivai Zekiel had to leave the field in the first half with an injury. The Feyenoord midfielder suffered a number of blows and was unable to continue.
Pro ShotsGjivai Zechiël is injured in the first half.
Shortly afterwards, the Dutch Juniors had a great chance for a third goal. Emegha fumbled the ball onto the crossbar via a defender and a header from Ruben van Bommel on the rebound was spectacularly saved by Swedish keeper Oliver Dovin.
Sweden came out of its shell a little more. And that was necessary, because only if they won, the team would keep their qualification for the European Championship in their own hands. The match was quite open, especially in the second half.
Own goal
However, Dutch goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro was not given much to do. Moreover, it also became 3-0. Ajax player Kenneth Taylor passed the ball, after which Swedish defender Noah Eile put the ball into his own goal.
And so the Swedes have to wait and see what Georgia does against North Macedonia on Tuesday evening. The Georgians are third, one point behind Sweden. And the Dutch Juniors? That takes the group win by no less than 13 points more than Sweden.
However, coach Reiziger does not want to bomb this Dutch team as a European Championship title favorite. “This qualifying series really does not mean that we will become European champions,” he said afterwards. “It’s not that easy.”
Sof
Taylor can talk about it because he is going to his second youth European Championship. The previous final tournament with the Dutch Juniors ended in a disappointment, when the team with names such as Micky van de Ven, Joshua Zirkzee, Quilindschy Hartman and Brian Brobbey were eliminated in the group stage.
“Just look at the list, all those guys are playing for big clubs now,” says Taylor. “We were very ‘unlucky’ at the previous tournament, even though we also had a lot of qualities.”
He praises the atmosphere within this team. “We are all friends, we all give each other the ball and the moment someone loses the ball, you run just a little faster.”
