Greece were 2-0 up at half-time, and Reijnders’ 89th-minute strike earned the Netherlands a draw in Thessaloniki
Fotis Ioannidis and Giorgos Masouras put Greece in control at the Toumba Stadium. Xavi’s half-time substitutes changed the game, and Greece stay top of their Nations League group on seven points.
Oct 2, 2026
Greece were 2-0 up at half-time against the Netherlands in Thessaloniki, and for 45 minutes it looked like they would make it three Nations League wins from three. Then Xavi made three changes, Virgil van Dijk headed one back, and Tijjani Reijnders hit a right-footed equaliser from the edge of the six-yard box with a minute left. It finished 2-2 at the Toumba Stadium on Thursday night, overnight in India.
Greece still top Group 2 of League A, with seven points from three games. The Netherlands have five, Germany four and Serbia none.
Ioannidis and Masouras do the damage
Greece did not have much of the ball. The Netherlands finished with 71% of possession. What Greece did with theirs was enough for a half.
Fotis Ioannidis opened the scoring after 23 minutes, taking a pass from Giorgos Masouras and finishing. The two swapped roles in first-half stoppage time: Ioannidis squared it and Masouras scored to make it 2-0.
For a side that had never beaten Germany until last week, this was another big night forming. Greece won 1-0 in Augsburg on 27 September, their first win over Germany at the eleventh attempt, and here they were two goals up on the Netherlands as well.
Xavi’s half-time changes turn it
Xavi went to his bench at the break and brought on Noa Lang, Ryan Gravenberch and Reijnders. The Netherlands had been without Cody Gakpo, who went off injured in the win in Belgrade, and they needed something different going forward.
They got it. Van Dijk headed in on 59 minutes, and from there it was mostly one-way traffic. Denzel Dumfries had a goal ruled out for offside soon after, and the pressure did not let up.
The equaliser came in the 89th minute, and it was the substitute who scored it. Reijnders drove his shot in from the edge of the six-yard box.
Germany next for Greece
Ivan Jovanovic’s side are still unbeaten, and seven points from three games in League A is more than I expected from them in this group. But they were a minute from beating the Netherlands too, and I think that will sting more than the draw is worth.
The schedule does not give them long to think about it. Greece play Germany again on Sunday, 4 October, this time at home, while the Netherlands host Serbia the same night. A win for Greece there would put real distance between them and the two bigger names in the group.