Oranje celebrates in Belgrade: Meerdink defeats Serbia

The Netherlands prevail 2-1 in Serbia in the second round of the UEFA Nations League.

The visitors initially dominate the proceedings at will but are briefly rattled after the hosts' temporary equalizer before securing the hard-fought match late.

This important away victory massively strengthens Oranje's position in Group A2, while the Serbian squad at the bottom of the table comes under significant pressure.

Substitute Jovic equalizes

The duel in the atmospheric Rajko Mitic Stadium, officiated by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, begins with a clear dynamic. Xavi's squad immediately seizes control and confidently dictates play with 65 percent possession.

The pressure pays off: After a foul call, Mexx Meerdink coolly converts the awarded penalty for a well-deserved lead (30th minute/P). With this narrow advantage, the dominant visiting team goes into halftime.

After the break, Serbia's coach Veljko Paunovic proves to have a golden touch, bringing Luka Jovic into the game. Following a fine pass from Sasa Lukic, the substitute promptly scores the celebrated equalizer, sending the stadium into a frenzy (46th minute).

Meerdink scores a brace

The Serbs suddenly sense their chance and play with significantly more courage. However, the Elftal shifts up a gear again in the final phase, which is reflected in the shot ratio of 20 to ten attempts (nine to six shots on target) for the visitors.

Finally, substitute Guus Til perfectly sets up his in-form teammate Meerdink, who unstoppably scores his brace, securing the 2-1 final score.

For the Dutch national team, this victory marks an enormously important signal in the fiercely contested race of League A.

Paunovic's team, however, has their back against the wall after the bitter home defeat and urgently needs to secure points in upcoming matches to avoid completely losing touch.

Denmark defeats Wales

In Group A4, Denmark prevails 2-0 at home against Wales.

Isaksen's supposed opening goal is disallowed by VAR due to an offside position (24th minute), but in the second half, the Danes finally take the lead through an own goal by Davies (53rd minute/OG). In the 66th minute, Isaksen scores to make it 2-0.