Amsterdam (AFP)

The Netherlands are hot.

Already assured of first place in Group C before kick-off, the "Oranje" made short work of North Macedonia 3-0, with a brace from Wijnaldum and a demonstration from Depay, involved in the three goals.

Strangely, for this game without a stake, coach Frank de Boer had given up on fielding a B team. Only two substitutes found room in the starting XI: Ryan Gravenberch, the 19-year-old Ajax prodigy, and Donyell Malen, author of a good entry into the second period against Austria (2-0).

The great Wout Weghorst and Marten de Roon were left to rest.

Without forcing their talent, and avoiding injuries and cards, the teammates of captain Georginio Wijnaldum confirmed that they were well established, and that they should be counted on during the knockout phase which begins.

Memphis Depay, the future Barcelona, ​​real conductor of the attack in this tournament, opened the scoring (1-0, 24th) after a school one-two with Malen.

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Wijnaldum then scored a brace within minutes.

He victoriously took over a perfect cross from Depay to the ground within six meters (2-0, 50th), before putting in the bottom a ball pushed back by the keeper on a shot from the same Depay (3-0, 58th).

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- Honorary guard for Pandev -

For their round of 16, the Dutch will leave their home crowd at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam to discover the Budapest stadium, named after another football legend, Ferenc Puskas.

The opponent of the "Oranje" will be a third of group (D, E or F) at 18:00.

The emotional moment of the match came in the 67th minute, when Goran Pandev, the captain of North Macedonia and former Champions League winner with Inter, came out in tears between a guard of honor of his teammates, after his 121st and last selection, at 37 years old.

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Before the match at the time of the exchange of the pennants, the Dutch captain Georginio Wijnaldum had given him an orange jersey from the Netherlands flocked to his name "Goran Pandev".

The striker with 38 goals in 120 caps had qualified his country for its very first international tournament thanks to a goal in the play-off of the Euro in November against Georgia.

© 2021 AFP