Netherlands' Wout Weghorst celebrates after scoring their sides second goal during the Euro 2024 Group C qualifying soccer match between Ireland and Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 10.Donall Farmer/The Associated Press
The Netherlands recovered from Virgil van Dijk conceding an early penalty to beat Ireland 2-1 and overcome a hurdle in its European Championship qualifying campaign.
Van Dijk gave away a penalty for handball at a corner in just the second minute in Dublin and the spot kick was promptly converted by Ireland’s Adam Idah.
Ireland’s physical style seemed to make the Netherlands wary in the early stages but the hosts soon conceded a penalty of their own when goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu tripped Denzel Dumfries, allowing Cody Gakpo to score from the spot.
A strong Dutch start to the second half was rewarded when Wout Weghorst scored in the 56th after Dumfries headed on a ball from deep into his teammate’s path.
The Netherlands and Greece are fighting for the second qualifying spot in Group B behind France, which is top with five wins from five games. Both the Netherlands and Greece have nine points after Greece beat Gibraltar 5-0 on Sunday.
Poland is in danger of missing out on a Euros spot for the first time since 2004 after a 2-0 loss to surprise Group E leader Albania.
Moldova is also in contention to qualify. It’s level on eight points with the Czech Republic after beating the Faroe Islands 1-0.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s 86th-minute goal gave Denmark a 1-0 win over Finland to take a step toward qualifying. Denmark and Slovenia top Group H with 13 points – one point ahead of Finland and surprise contender Kazakhstan, which beat Northern Ireland 1-0. Kazakhstan has never before qualified for a European Championship or World Cup. Slovenia eased past San Marino 4-0.
Montenegro beat Bulgaria 2-1 in Group G. Hungary and Serbia are level on 10 points at the top of the group after Serbia beat Lithuania 3-1.