Netherlands U17’s got their Euro qualifying campaign back on track with a 2-0 win over Slovakia on Saturday.
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The elite round started with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Bulgaria on Thursday for Kees van Wonderen’s side, and they faced Slovakia knowing a win was crucial.
After 16 minutes they got off to a perfect start with Justin Kluivert fouled in the box by Samuel Kozlovský, earning the Slovak defender a red card and Netherlands a penalty. Arsenal forward Donyell Malen calmly converted the spot kick.
A minute before the break it was 2-0 with Kluivert heavily involved again. The Ajax youngster brilliantly controlled a long ball before racing towards goal and setting up Feyenoord’s Dylan Vente for a tap-in.
After the break Netherlands failed to add further goals which could be crucial come the end of the tournament, but they got the win which puts them in a good position heading into the final game of the group. On Tuesday Netherlands face Germany, who also have four points from their opening two games, but a superior goal difference.
The winner of the group goes straight to the Euros, while a second place finish means a wait to find out if you are one of the seven best ranked runners up.
Netherlands line up: Van de Meulenhof, Bakboord, De Ligt, Wijndal, Malacia, Wehrmann (Van de Looi), Lonwijk, Vente, Malen (Fernandes), Chong (Van Bergen), Kluivert
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