HOLLAND take on North Macedonia as Euro 2020 Group C comes to a conclusion tonight.
- TV channel: ITV1
- Live stream FREE: ITV Hub
- North Macedonia XI: Dimitrievski, Alioski, Musliu, Bardhi, Ademi, Ristovski, Trickovski, Trajkovski, Velkovski, Elmas, Pandev.
- Netherlands XI: Stekelenburg, Dumfries, Blind, de Vrij, de Ligt, van Aanholt, Wijnaldum, de Jong, Gravenberch, Malen, Depay.
Follow ALL the build-up and latest with our live blog below…
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NORTH MACEDONIA 0-0 NETHERLANDS
6. Trickovski hasn’t quite had the same fanfare around his expected departure as Pandev, and he certainly isn’t getting any special treatment from Blind.
The former Man Utd man absolutely powers into the back of the forward, and leaves him on the turf looking around for a foul that never comes.
NORTH MACEDONIA 0-0 NETHERLANDS
4. It’s Clive and Ally on commentary, by the way, so even if the game is lousy (which I don’t think it will be) we should have plenty to keep us entertained.
NORTH MACEDONIA 0-0 NETHERLANDS
2. It didn’t take long for Gravenberch to make himself known to an English audience.
The teenager is quickest to a loose ball in midfield, pushes forward, and swerves a 25-yarder just over the crossbar with his instep.
NORTH MACEDONIA 0-0 NETHERLANDS
1. Fittingly, it’s Pandev that gets his final international match underway for the North Macedonians, all in white and kicking from left to right.
The Netherlands may be playing in Amsterdam in front of a huge support, but are officially classified as the away team, and subsequently are wearing black.
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
GAME ON IN AMSTERDAM!HERE COME THE TEAMS!
For one final time, Goran Pandev leads our North Macedonia for an international fixture, crossing himself as he steps over the touchline.
An estimated 15,000 supporters then greet the Dutch side to the field. Georginio Wijnaldum, newly of Paris Saint-Germain, is the country’s captain but it’s Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong that’s most adored by the locals around here.
Please stand for the national anthems.
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SLAP AND GIGGLE
Out but not down, the North Macedonian players looked in high spirits earlier today if this video of their light training session is anything to go by.
DUMFRIES AND GOAL-OWAY
Of all the players at the European Championships named after Scottish towns, Denzil Dumfries is proving himself to be the most exciting.
The rampaging right-back has found the net in each of his first two appearances at the tournament so far, having not scored in his first 19 caps for the Netherlands.
Will he make it a hat-trick of sorts this afternoon? The only Dutchman to score in their first three matches at the Euros was Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2004.
KICK-OFF APPROACHING
The Johan Cruyff Arena is beginning to fill up, and supporters of both nations are determined to enjoy themselves.
PAND OF GOD
Goran Pandev had already cemented his status as a North Macedonian football legend long before he scored his country’s first ever goal at a major tournament at the age of 37 against Austria eight days ago.
Widely accepted to be North Macedonia’s greatest ever played, Pandev has confirmed that he will retire from international football after today’s game which will be his 122nd cap.
Pandev first represented his country 2001, and has scored a record 38 goals for them in the two decades since, including North Macedonia’s first ever goal against the Dutch in a 2-2 draw back in 2004.
He had originally planned to retire from international football in 2015, but was talked into a return by the current coach Igor Angelovski in 2016. The North Macedonia boss is also expected to vacate his role following today’s game.
DUTCH ON A ROLL
Spearheaded by Memphis Depay, Netherlands find themselves in a rich vein of goalscoring form coming into today’s contest with North Macedonia.
The Dutch have scored two or more goals in each of their last nine games in all competitions, their longest run since May 1935 where they also netted 2+ in nine fixtures in a row).
They have never managed to scored two or more goals in ten consecutive games in all competitions.
NETHERLANDS SUBSTITUTES
13 Krul, 23 Bizot, 2 Veltman, 4 Ake, 7 Berghuis, 9 De Jong, 11 Promes, 14 Klaassen, 19 Weghorst, 24 Koopmeiners, 25 Timber, 26 Gakpo
NETHERLANDS XI
It’s two changes also for Frank de Boer, who brings in 19-year-old midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, and Donyell Malen, PSV Eindhoven’s 22-year-old forward; dropping to the bench are Marten De Roon and Wout Weghorst. It’s another 3-5-2 formation for the dutch which will allow Frenkie De Jong and skipper Georginio Wijnaldum to flourish in midfield, and Denzel Dumfries and Patrick van Aanholt to rampage down the flanks.
1 Stekelenburg; 6 De Vrij, 3 De Ligt, 17 Blind; 22 Dumfries, 21 De Jong, 8 Wijnaldum, 16 Gravenberch, 12 Van Aanholt; 10 Depay, 18 Malen
NORTH MACEDONIA SUBSTITUTES
12 Jankov, 22 Siskovski, 3 Zajkov, 4 Ristevski, 11 Hasani, 15 Kostadinov, 16 Nikolov, 18 Stojanovski, 19 K Velkovski, 20 Spirovski, 24Avramovski, 25 Churlinov
NORTH MACEDONIA XI
Igor Angelovski makes two changes for North Macedonia’s final game of Euro 2020, and reverts to a back four as he goes with a 4-2-3-1 against the Dutch. Boban Nikolov and Stefen Spirovski drop out, and in comes Aleksandar Trajkovski and Ivan Trickovski; like captain Goran Pandev, the latter has also announced that this will be his last appearance for the national side. The legend himself, meanwhile, wears 10 and leads the line.
1 Dimitrievski; 13 S Ristovski, 14 D Velkovski, 6 Musliu, 8 Alioski; 17 Bardi, 5 Ademi; 7 Trickovski, 21 Elmas, 9 Trajkovski; 10 Pandev
THE TEAMSHEETS ARE IN!
GOEDENMIDDAG
Welcome to Amsterdam for our live Euro 2020 coverage of North Macedonia against Netherlands, one of the ties in this final round of games in Group C.
The immediate destinies of these two countries may be confirmed, but there remains more than pride to play for at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
With two wins from two, the Dutch have already sealed top spot and a Last 16 date in Budapest on June 27.
However, a third victory on the spin will have the Oranje faithful believing they are more than just makeweights this time around, and will head to Hungary hungry for success.
North Macedonia, meanwhile, are already packed for the return home, having lost their opening two matches in their inaugural international tournament – but this afternoon offers the chance for a fledgling nation to say goodbye to a legend.
After two decades, 121 caps, and 38 goals, Goran Pandev is hanging up his international football boots (again) immediately after this fixture.
The 37-year-old will want to head out on a high, and, having been part of the North Macedonia team that won in Germany three months ago, will know that the Lynxes have what it takes to upset Europe’s big guns in their own backyard.
Ukraine and Austria will be battling it out simultaneously for second spot in Group C, and we’ll also have all the action from their fixture in Bucharest in a separate blog.
But first it’s the all-important team news from Amsterdam, as well as more build-up ahead of the 5pm kick-off.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
