Xavi Hernandez secured his first victory as Netherlands coach on Sunday as his side defeated Serbia 2-1 in their Nations League clash in Belgrade.
The Dutch had opened Xavi’s tenure with a 1-1 draw against Germany on Thursday, but two goals from Mexx Meerdink earned them three points against Serbia and moved them to four points from two matches in Group A2.
The Netherlands turned to former Barcelona midfielder Xavi after their disappointing World Cup last-32 exit against Morocco.
Serbia missed an early chance to take the lead when Dejan Joveljic found himself unmarked inside the penalty area but shot directly at goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
The Netherlands then suffered an injury setback when Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo was forced off and replaced by Ruben van Bommel.
The visitors took the lead in the 30th minute after Aleksa Terzic brought down Crysencio Summerville inside the area. Meerdink stepped up to convert the resulting penalty for his first international goal.
Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic introduced Luka Jovic at half-time, and the former Real Madrid striker made an immediate impact. Jovic reacted quickest to a goalmouth scramble and levelled the match less than a minute into the second half.
The Netherlands restored their advantage in the 69th minute. Meerdink received the ball from substitute Guus Til before sending a left-footed effort into the bottom corner to complete his brace.
Denmark defeat Wales
Denmark responded to their defeat by Norway on Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Wales in Copenhagen in Group A4.
The result extended Denmark’s winning run against Wales to four matches.
Gustav Isaksen had a first-half goal ruled out for offside, while Mikkel Damsgaard also came close when his effort struck the post.
Denmark eventually broke the deadlock eight minutes after the restart when Wales captain Ben Davies diverted Damsgaard’s free-kick into his own net while under pressure from Rasmus Hojlund.
Isaksen later doubled Denmark’s lead, sealing the victory for the hosts.
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