Liverpool FC central defender Virgil Van Dijk's fine form was reflected once on the pitch. This time the 31-year-old not only neutralised the Belgian attack, but also played the role of hero at the Amsterdam Arena, scoring the only goal of the UEFA Nations League Group 4 matchday six fixture in the 73rd minute off an assist from Cody Gakpo.
The result left the Netherlands with 16 points, ahead of Belgium, Poland and Welsh, the latter of whom were relegated to League B. The Netherlands will play in the Playoffs of the tournament looking to end the title drought, as the last cup lifted by the "Oranje" was in 1988, when they won the European Championship with players such as Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, among others.
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The captain for the Netherlands is part of the current unbeaten record of his national team, with 15 official matches so far; eleven wins and four draws. Oranje's last defeat dates back to June 2021, when they lost 2-0 to the Czech Republic in the last 16 of the European Championship, where the Liverpool star was curiously absent due to muscular rehabilitation.
Van Dijk is aiming for a big World Cup, having made 10 starts since the start of the 2022-2023 season, with 90" minutes played in all competitions so far, including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Nations League. Despite being a defender, the former Willem II, Groningen, Celtic and Southampton man has scored twice, once for Liverpool and once for his national team.
The Red's No4 has completed his fine spell with the Netherlands, returning to Anfield this week to prepare for the league game against Brighton & Hove Albion FC on Saturday 1 October in Round 9 of the Championship, which currently sees them in eighth place with a game in hand and nine points to their name.
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