The Dutch juniors started a month ago in Group E with a win in Deventer over Jung of Moldova (3-0). Erwin van de Loy’s team will play Young Wells on Tuesday in Nijmegen. Switzerland leads the group with 7 points from three matches, and the Dutch youth have 4 points from two matches.
The final round of the European Championships takes place in Georgia and Romania in 2023. The group winners and best No. 2, measured over all nine groups, qualify directly. The other No. 2 in the qualifiers is vying for the last four tickets to the European Championship.
The Dutch Juniors played an unfortunate first half. In the seventh minute it seemed that Jürgen Eckelenkamp opened the scoring, but according to the refereeing it came from an offside position. Television images gave a different impression, but due to the lack of VAR technology, additional examination of the target was not possible.
Soon, Brian Broby missed a huge opportunity. He collided with the guard Amir Saybe. Fifteen minutes later Robbie was injured, and in the short time the Young Dutch were at ten, Noah Okafor scored. He was able to hit from close range thanks to poor coverage Jeremy Frimpong. With Myron Boadu on Brobbey’s favour, the Dutch team began their hunt for an equaliser. Zirkzee’s shot hit the post.
After the break, Okafor scored again quickly from a rebound after a shot on the crossbar. A little later, goalkeeper Kjell Scherbin blocked the third Swiss goal. Thanks to Zirkzee, who took advantage of the ball from close range, the young Dutchmen had more confidence and energy. Zirkzee also made the score 2-2 with a header. After that, both teams had some small chances to win, but they stayed the same.
