After Depay makes his fiftieth international goal, teammate Gakpo raised him like a trophy

Like a trophy, he will be hoisted into the air on Tuesday evening, the man of the goal record. Memphis Depay is still hanging in the arms of a tuft of teammates as offside player Cody Gakpo hits him from behind the waist. A few centimeters he lifts the attacker off the grass, then he lowered it again. Because Depay may be half a cup smaller, because of his broad body it is certainly not light.

For a moment, Depay scored his fiftieth goal in the shirt of Orange, the goal that it has been going on for so long. The World Cup qualifying match of the Dutch national team against Malta soon becomes his party, the evening that the attacker of the Brazilian Corinthians comes to the same level with Robin van Persie, the top scorer of all time of Orange. Both players achieved that performance in 102 international matches.

Not that he was busy with that record, Depay wanted to make the outside world believe in the run -up to the international match. The record was « not the most important », he preferred to qualify with the Netherlands for next year’s World Cup in North America, he fell for the television cameras on Saturday, after he scored his 48th goal for Orange against Finland. « I think others are talking more about it than myself. »

But against Malta, a modest football nation without well -known names, everything shows how much the record is concerned with him. And Depay not alone. Certainly in the first half it sometimes seems as if the whole team mainly tries to set him free for the goal. As if they heard of national coach Ronald Koeman before the start of the match that nobody is allowed to score, except Depay.

Mission

The sun is still shining on the roof of the East stand when that happens for the first time. A goal that is introduced by a dribble from midfielder Justin Kluivert, who continues to crochet with his toe behind the calf of defender Juan Corbolan. A slightly given penalty kick, but Depay doesn’t care. He shoots hard and low in the right corner. Immediately the attacker picks up the ball from the goal and runs to the center dot. Depay is in a hurry, even though there are still 85 minutes to play.

Shortly thereafter, he starts moving again, when the right winger Xavi Simons sends him into the depth with a header. Goalkeeper Henry Bonello is just earlier. And then, after fourteen minutes, an action by midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. Depay is not the best option, but again the end station. A minute later, Simons can shoot himself, but he takes on Depay, who then curls the ball just over the goal.

Yet the mission succeeds, after barely fifteen minutes of play. Via a deep ball from Frenkie de Jong, a walking action of right back Denzel Dumfries, a handsome, receding cross to the edge of the sixteen -meter area. The shot that follows is within the reach of the Maltese goalkeeper, but too hard to stop. For a moment Depay checks his ball, as if he doesn’t believe it. Then he starts running in the direction of Dumfries.

Goal 51

It will be an evening full of goals, because Malta never has an answer to the many running actions and the fast position play at Oranje. But after that first fifteen minutes it is now the other who score, such as captain Virgil van Dijk, after more than twenty minutes of play, and Xavi Simons, fifteen minutes after the break. With the latter, Depay is still the declarant, but as visible and threatening as before, he is no longer.

Because the hunt for goal number 51 is also counterproductive at times: due to the fixation on Depay, the Dutch national team also leaves opportunities to expand the score. Like just before half -time, when the Orange breaks out and Depay receives the ball on the left. There are several teammates with it, but the attacker opts for an action, and wastes the ball. That too is Depay: at times very agile and targeted, at other times unnecessary selfish and sloppy.

Also meaningful is the impulse that the Dutch national team gets when he is changed after 72 minutes, and Donyell Malen falls. With him the threat suddenly returns, Orange starts a final sprint. Within eight minutes the Aston Villa attacker is involved in three goals: in two as a maker, with one as a declarant. Just before time, Micky van de Ven also makes the 8-0, the biggest victory of Orange in thirteen years.

But perhaps even more important than all the goals and records on the Euroborg field is what takes place at the same time in Helsinki. On Tuesday evening, Finland surprisingly wins 2-1 against Poland, for Orange on paper the most important competitor in the qualification for the World Cup.

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