Meerdink, brace and first victory for the Netherlands of Xavi

The Dutch Mexx Meerdink was the main architect of the Netherlands' first victory under Xavi, Sunday night in the Nations League. According to Voetbal International, the Oranje won 2-1 in Belgrade against Serbia, with a brace from the AZ striker. This success, the first for coach Xavi, was marked by Meerdink's performance, who also received the highest rating among Dutch players, as reported by the same outlet.

A spectacular start to international career

Meerdink, who was playing his first match as a starter for Oranje, lived up to expectations. According to FCUpdate, he played with great confidence and converted a penalty convincingly in the first half. The AZ player himself said he was surprised by his success. "It's suddenly going very fast," he revealed, according to a NU.nl headline. After his brace, he expressed his joy, talking about his second goal: "On this second goal, I thought...", reports Voetbalzone.

Unanimous praise

Dutch observers praised the young striker's performance. Rafael van der Vaart and Theo Janssen, quoted by Voetbal International, judged that he was a "complete" and "really good" striker. FCUpdate notes that with Meerdink, the Netherlands have a "good striker in addition". The daily AD also drew a positive balance sheet, giving Meerdink the highest rating on the team, while two other players received insufficient grades.

Encouraging statistics

Beyond the victory, the match figures are telling. Voetbal International notes that the Netherlands shot more times than in their World Cup matches, a first for Meerdink, who thus shines in Nations League statistics. Joey Veerman, for his part, was the main distributor of Dutch play, according to the same source. The Oranje will continue with their next Nations League match, where they will try to confirm this positive momentum.