Greece vs Netherlands: Nations League clash in Thessaloniki overshadowed by anthem whistling row
Greece hosted the Netherlands on Thursday in Thessaloniki for round three of the UEFA Nations League, with top spot in the group at stake, but the match was overshadowed by a pre-kick-off incident in which the Greek crowd whistled during the Dutch national anthem.
Context
On 1 October, Stadio Toumbas in Thessaloniki hosted the round three UEFA Nations League group match between Greece and the Netherlands. Greece arrived as group leaders with six points, having beaten Serbia 2-1 and Germany 1-0, while the Netherlands sat second on four points after drawing 1-1 with Germany at home and winning 2-1 away to Serbia. According to Goal.com, this was part of the early stretch of the Netherlands' new era under head coach Xavi Hernandez.
Historical dominance
According to data compiled by OneFootball, the Netherlands have clearly dominated the head-to-head record, winning nine of their meetings against Greece, with one draw and just a single Greek victory. In their last two direct encounters, during the 2023 European Championship qualifiers, the Dutch won 3-0 and 1-0. Greece's most recent win over the Netherlands dates back to a 2016 friendly (1-0). Bookmakers went into the match favouring the visitors.
Team news
Ahead of kick-off, OneFootball's probable line-ups had Jan Paul van Hecke in the Dutch defence, but Goal.com later reported that he had withdrawn with a foot injury, prompting Xavi to consider moving captain Virgil van Dijk to right centre-back or starting Jurriën Timber instead. According to Goal.com, both Jurriën and Quinten Timber ultimately started together for the first time, while Xavi also handed a midfield role to Guus Til. Van Dijk made his 99th international appearance in the match.
Whistling controversy
As reported by Goal.com, citing NOS, tension built in the Toumba Stadium stands even before kick-off, as Greek fans drowned out the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, with mass whistling. This sparked widespread anger among Dutch viewers on social media, with several users on X criticising the behaviour. Demand for tickets had been high, with more than 100,000 Greek fans applying, though only around 29,000 were ultimately able to attend.
Match statistics
According to figures compiled by the BBC, the Netherlands dominated possession (67.4% to Greece's 32.6%) and were more accurate in their passing (88.3% compared with 75.6%, from 274 and 127 passes respectively). Greece, however, were more clinical in attack, registering three shots on target to the Netherlands' one, along with more corners (four to two). The Netherlands, meanwhile, committed considerably more fouls - seven compared with Greece's one. None of the sources state the final score of the match.
