AMSTERDAM/Bucharest, June 21: Memphis Depay scored one, he set up Georginio Wijnaldum for the next two, and the Netherlands made it three out of three.
The Dutch team completed the group stage at the European Championship with a 3-0 victory over North Macedonia on Monday, the second team at the tournament after Italy to win all three of its opening matches.
Depay, who just signed for Barcelona, scored the first goal after a slick counterattack in the 24th minute.
He then passed to Wijnaldum for a tap-in goal in the 51st, and seven minutes later goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski saved a shot from Depay that Wijnaldum put into the roof of the net off the rebound.
The Netherlands had already won the group before the match and North Macedonia was already eliminated after losing its first two matches at its first major tournament.
The match at the Johan Cruyff Arena was the 122nd and last international for North Macedonia captain Goran Pandev.
His teammates formed a guard of honor and the crowd gave him a standing ovation as he was substituted in the 69th minute.
The Netherlands now has to wait to see which team it will face in the round of 16 on Sunday in Budapest.
As Group C winner, the team will line up against the third-place finisher in either Group D, E or F.
Austria beat Ukraine
Christoph Baumgartner put Austria into the knockout stage at the European Championship for the first time by scoring the only goal in his team’s 1-0 victory over Ukraine on Monday.
Baumgartner knocked in a corner from Austria captain David Alaba in the 21st minute, only four minutes after colliding head-to-head with Illia Zabarnyi on the other end of the field.
Baumgartner was then substituted in the 32rd minute, holding his head while leaving the field.
Austria finished second in Group C with six points and will next face Italy in London on Saturday.
Ukraine is third with three points and could still qualify for the round of 16 as one of the four best third-place teams.
Alaba played in the middle of a back three in the previous games, but he was at left back in a four-man defensive line on Monday, supporting the attack with well executed crosses and corner kicks from both sides. (AP)
