Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to score the winning goal as the Netherlands defeated Serbia 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.
The Manchester United forward was introduced at half-time and made the difference in the 72nd minute, finishing from close range after Tijjani Reijnders redirected Denzel Dumfries’ low cross across the penalty area.
The Netherlands had taken the lead in the 31st minute when Teun Koopmeiners curled a free-kick through a crowded penalty area and into the far corner.
Serbia responded just four minutes later. Aleksa Terzić delivered a cross into the box, with Mihajlo Cvetkovic rising above Koopmeiners to head the ball past Bart Verbruggen for his first international goal.
The score remained 1-1 until Zirkzee restored the Netherlands’ advantage in the second half. Serbia pushed for another equaliser, but Verbruggen made important saves to protect the Dutch lead.
The victory moved the Netherlands to the top of Nations League Group A2. The Dutch are level on points with Greece but lead on the relevant tiebreaker after Greece drew 0-0 with Germany in the other group match.
The match was also a milestone occasion for Virgil van Dijk, who earned his 100th international cap for the Netherlands. The Liverpool defender captained the side as they secured another important victory under head coach Xavi Hernández.
The result completed a Nations League double over Serbia, with the Netherlands having also won 2-1 in Belgrade in their previous meeting. Xavi remains unbeaten after his first four matches in charge, with two wins and two draws.
The Netherlands will now turn their attention to the final stages of the group campaign, with matches against Greece and Germany scheduled for November.