31-year-old Brazilian forward leads the Dutch team forward; 4-0 victory over Finland keeps them unbeaten with 5 wins and 1 draw, contributing 2 assists and 1 goal creating 3 goals in total.

At midnight on October 13th Beijing time, the 8th round of the European World Cup qualifiers Group G saw the Netherlands play Finland at home.

During the first half, Malen and Van Dijk scored one after another, Depay assisted twice, Timber’s header struck the post, Klaassen won a penalty, and Depay’s spot-kick increased the lead, with the Netherlands leading 3-0 at halftime; in the second half, Gakpo scored a world-class goal to secure the win.

In the end, the Netherlands triumphed 4-0 over Finland, extending their unbeaten run in the qualifiers to 5 wins and 1 draw, topping the group.

Netherlands vs Finland,Koeman deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Depay upfront, supported by Klaassen behind him, Malen and Gakpo on the wings, Gravenberch and De Jong as holding midfielders, Dumfries, Timber, Van Dijk, and Van de Ven forming the back four, and Verbruggen in goal; the starting lineup’s total market value was €452 million.On Finland’s side, a 5-3-2 formation was used, with a starting lineup valued at only €22.1 million.

This was clearly a mismatch in strength; the Dutch national team now boasts abundant talent in defense and midfield, but the attack is somewhat lacking. Fortunately, 31-year-old Brazilian forward Depay has been in remarkable form during this World Cup qualifying campaign. In this match, he once again delivered 2 assists and 1 goal, creating 3 goals overall, earning a joint highest rating of 8.5 alongside Van Dijk and Gakpo. While fans joked about the Dutch attack’s shortcomings, the veteran Depay stepped up.In the first 6 rounds of qualifiers, he appeared 6 times, starting 5 matches, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists, directly contributing to 11 goals single-handedly.Such efficiency rivals that of top forwards in Europe’s big five leagues. At 31 years old and valued at €9 million, Depay is carrying the Orange Army’s offense, firmly securing their position at the top of the group and a direct path to the 2026 World Cup.

Throughout the match, the Netherlands held 69% possession and had 17 shots with 6 on target; Finland managed 7 shots with 3 on target.