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
[(FC Dynamo Kyiv) Strength]: 1. Mykola Shaparenko and Vladyslav Vanat both notched 1 goal and 1 assist in the last 2 games, showing their good shape.2. FC Dynamo Kyiv won 1-0 over Veres Rivne in the last Ukrainian Premier League game, starting the new season's league with a win.3. FC Dynamo Kyiv won 6-0 over Hamrun Spartans F.C. in two legs in the last Champions League round, advancing smoothly.4....
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. On this Day Football Klopp is currently Red Bull's Head of Global Football,And He advises RB Leipzig Man Utd are prepared to let Hojlund go for £30m 367 out of 368 players who played in EURO 2004 have retired.Only ONE is still playing, and his name is Cristiano Ronaldo.RESPECT! Just a REMINDER that the RELEASE of GTA VI, Champions League FINAL, and st...
[(FC Rubin Kazan) Strength]: 1. FC Rubin Kazan have had a decent start to the new season, remaining unbeaten after two league matches and one Russian Cup game, achieving a record of two wins and one draw.2. FC Rubin Kazan have shown a stable offensive performance at the start of the new season, scoring two goals in each of their last three matches.3. FC Rubin Kazan have performed steadily at home....
[(Hearts) Strength]: 1. Hearts are motivated to start with a win in this home game.2. Hearts won 3-0 over Sunderland A.F.C. in the last warm-up game. They also kept all wins in the previous 4 Cup games, showing decent form.3. Hearts won the last 5 home games, revealing high scoring efficiency and outstanding home performances.4. Hearts scored 19 goals and conceded one in the last 5 games, boasting...
[(Ilves Tampere) Strength]: 1. Ilves Tampere's Roope Riski just performed impressively in the first leg against AZ Alkmaar in European football. He is the main scoring point of the team.2. Ilves Tampere remained unbeaten in the last 4 home games, showing certain home strength.3. Ilves Tampere are ranked 2nd with outstanding offense.4. The AH line is -1.5 for Ilves Tampere, showing their superior s...
[(IFK Goteborg) Strength]: 1. IFK Goteborg scored 3 goals from open play in the last league game, with each goal scored by a different player, showcasing their multiple scorers on offense.[(IFK Goteborg) Neutral]: 1. IFK Goteborg had BTTS in 3 of the previous 4 games, showing a high likelihood of goals from both ends lately.2. IFK Goteborg got 2 wins and 2 losses in the previous 4 home games, reve...
Lewandowski told to quit Barcelona for Saudi moveFormer Poland goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski believes that despite Robert Lewandowski's success at Barcelona, things are not all that rosy for him at the Catalan outfit. The Polish legend added that the 36-year-old should head to the Middle East as he is not being properly utilised by his Blaugrana team-mates.Tomaszewski told Mundo Deportivo: "Robert sh...
Ex-Barcelona president: Rashford better than Nico WilliamsFormer Barcelona president Joan Gaspart has boldly stated that Marcus Rashford is a better player than Nico Williams. His comments came in response to criticism from Inaki Williams after the younger Williams turned down a move to Blaugrana and instead signed a long-term extension with Athletic Club."First of all, for me, Marcus Rashford is ...
General view of Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium Real Madrid will begin their LaLiga campaign with a home game against Osasuna as scheduled after Spain's federation (RFEF) rejected their appeal to postpone the August 19 fixture on Thursday, local media reported.Real had requested a longer rest period and pre-season after playing in the Club World Cup in the US where they lost to Paris St Ge...
DONE DEAL: Real Sociedad sign Lyon defender Caleta-CarReal Sociedad have signed Olympique Lyon defender Duje Caleta-Car.The Croatia international has joined La Real on a season-long loan with an option to buy.Lyon have announced Caleta-Car will join La Real for an initial €500,000 loan fee and can sign permanently at the end of the coming season for €4m.Caleta-Car, 28, has a deal with ...
- 1 Phil Parkinson breaks silence on Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's shock bid to bring ex-Man Utd star Christian Eriksen to Wrexham
- 2 TIPS - Real Salt Lake VS Atletico San Luis
- 3 Arsenal legend backs Premier League rivals to become next invincibles and take prestigious title from Gunners
- 4 Go Ahead Eagles star duo linked to Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers
- 5 Daily Laugh - Raya nair
- 6 Man Utd, Newcastle turn to Stuttgart striker Woltemade
- 7 Liverpool ready "to go big" for wantaway Newcastle striker Isak
- 8 Real Madrid Willing to Sell Rodrygo — But Only If Two Key Conditions Are Met
- 9 Man City boss Guardiola delivers definitive answer to Barcelona return question
- 10 TIPS - Karlsruher SC VS SC Preussen Munster