The Netherlands' Memphis Depay (#10) was the star of the night with two goals, an assist, and a tied record
The Netherlands continued their perfect start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with an 8-0 home win over minnows Malta.
The match marked Oranje's first in Groningen since 1983, when they beat Iceland 3-0 in a EURO 1984 qualifier. It was Ronald Koeman's second of 78 Dutch caps. Forty-two years later, the iconic libero returned to the city where he grew up and made his professional debut as the Netherlands' manager.
The game against Malta also potentially marked a historical night for Dutch football, as striker Memphis Depay was just two goals away from Robin van Persie's all-time record of 50 goals for Oranje.
Player ratings
The former Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid striker would soon get the chance to close the gap to one after Spanish referee Ricardo de Burgos blew for a penalty for a foul on Xavi Simons. After a relatively lengthy VAR review, Memphis calmly converted from the spot and had 81 minutes left to chase the record.
The record-equalling goal followed just seven minutes later when Denzel Dumfries got the ball in front of the goal and Xavi Simons stepped over it to give Memphis the chance to score. The Corinthians striker laced it into the net with a powerful effort, scoring his 50th goal for the Netherlands.
Read more about Memphis Depay equalling Robin van Persie's record
The Dutch party continued in the 21st minute, when captain Virgil van Dijk, who also returned to the city where he broke through for FC Groningen, fired the ball past Henry Bonello for a third Oranje goal.
The Netherlands kept pushing for a fourth, but wouldn't get rewarded for their efforts until the 61st minute. Memphis Depay delivered a pin-perfect deep ball to Xavi Simons, who slid the ball past Bonello for a much-deserved 4-0.
After the man of the night, Memphis Depay, was taken off, his replacement quickly struck: Aston Villa's Donyell Malen connected on a low cross from Micky van de Ven and scored the Netherlands' fifth just two minutes after coming on and with his first touch of the match.
Malen's cameo became increasingly impressive, with a fabulous assist for Noa Lang's 6-0 before scoring the Netherlands' seventh goal after a flashy solo effort and precise strike in the right-hand corner.
With energy and a fiery eagerness, Oranje continued to look for an eighth goal, and Spurs' Micky van de Ven got them their eighth in the second minute of injury time, half-volleying the ball in the far corner for his first goal for his country.
The Netherlands ended their first block of World Cup qualifiers with a resounding 8-0 win over Malta - their biggest since the 11-0 win over San Marino in 2012 - and closed the gap to group leaders Finland, who've played two more games, to one point.
Oranje continue their qualifying campaign in September with games against Poland and Lithuania.
View all the match statistics on Flashscore.
Key match stats
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Liam Delap has been booked. If Arsenal get Gabriel Heinze as assistant coach Throwback when Pepe was surprised that referee gave only a yellow card to Sergio Ramos.. This lol This I guess I won't be needing this anymore... Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, thefootballarenaa, FootballLaughss, MaguireSkills, Foot...
Fabrizio Romano reports on his YouTube channel that in recent hours there have been new conversations between Arsenal and Noni Madueke's camp.Romano adds that he believes Madueke could be open to the transfer, given this second round of talks. If the winger had no interest in the move, presumably his camp would have shut things down immediately.The journalist clarifies that this doesn't mean Madue...
Catalan publication Sport claims that the Blues are "willing" to pay €40m (£34m) for the young Spaniard, who has caught the eye with his performances at the Club World Cup.Garcia has scored 3 goals in 4 appearances, including the winner against Juventus in the last 16 earlier this week.Even so, Real may be open to selling the 21-year-old, but Sport suggest they may want to include a buy...
Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi remain in negotiations to extend the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's contract beyond the end of 2025, a source told ESPN.Despite recent reports linking Messi to clubs in other leagues, both Inter Miami and the Argentine captain remain interested in continuing their relationship on the field.Messi signed with Inter Miami in July 2023 on a two-and-a-half year Designat...
Szczesny poised to extend Barcelona stay with new dealBarcelona are on the verge of securing a contract extension with experienced goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who is expected to sign a new two-year deal, sources told ESPN.Szczesny had previously acknowledged receiving an offer from Barca in May but requested some more time to evaluate his future. The Polish international has now decided to commi...
Chelsea take on Palmeiras in the quarter-finalsChelsea manager Enzo Maresca has tempered expectations ahead of Friday’s FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras, stating that ‘football is full of surprises’.The Premier League side secured their place in this stage by defeating Portuguese giants Benfica, while Abel Ferreira’s team overcame Brazilian rivals Botafog...
REVEALED: Agents almost wrecked David's dream Juventus moveJonathan David pushed his agents to accept a major cut on their commission to seal his move to Juventus.In Turin today for his Juve medical, there was a danger of the move collapsing due to the demands of David's agents.A free agent from Lille, David's agents wanted a massive €25m to place the player at his next club, says Tuttosport...
Forest to bid for Leicester defender Kristiansen linked with Roma and EvertonNottingham Forest are said to be keen on Leicester City defender Victor Kristiansen this summer despite interest from other clubs.Leicester were relegated from the Premier League last season, having only gained promotion the year before and will be hoping to keep the squad together ahead of the new campaign where the Foxe...
Five Man Utd stars ask to leave including Rashford, Antony, Garnacho and SanchoFive Manchester United stars have informed the club that they wish to leave this summer after much transfer speculation.After the club’s worst season in history which saw United finish 15th in the Premier League, get knocked out of both domestic cups, and be beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final, five pla...
Garnacho intends to stay in the Premier League after Man Utd departureAlejandro Garnacho has informed Manchester United that he wishes to leave the side this summer as he hopes to join another Premier League club.Garnacho was told he could leave United in May after complaining he was only on the bench for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham. He, as well as Tyrell Malacia, Marcus Rashford, ...
- 1 Liverpool willing to make swap proposal to Palace for Guehi
- 2 Inside jet-setting England star Dominic Solanke's honeymoon with wife Erica
- 3 Raphinha happy to see Barcelona miss out on FIFA Club World Cup
- 4 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 5 Mystery blonde who had night out with Kieran Trippier
- 6 Sporting CP president Varandas: Gyokeres knows price he can leave for
- 7 Frustrated Arsenal turn to Eintracht Frankfurt striker Ekitike
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 Cristiano Ronaldo to join up with Portuguese boss at Al-Nassr
- 10 Coleen Rooney eclipses husband Wayne as main breadwinner