Greece had the evening in its hands, from an assertive opening to a two-goal interval lead, but the Netherlands carried enough resolve into the second half to leave with a 2-2 draw in Group A2 of the UEFA Nations League. Tijjani Reijnders supplied the late intervention, turning in a close-range volley at the near post to preserve the unbeaten records of both teams after three matchdays.
The hosts had announced their intent early. Christos Tzolis found the net in the 13th minute, only for the effort to be ruled out: Vangelis Pavlidis was offside and had blocked goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s line of sight.
Greece did not have to wait long for a legitimate breakthrough. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis launched a long ball forward in the 23rd minute, and Giorgos Masouras, introduced from the bench, flicked it into the path of Fotis Ioannidis. The forward finished across Verbruggen and into the bottom-right corner.
Verbruggen then denied Konstantinos Karetsas at his near post, but Greece extended their advantage in first-half stoppage time. Ioannidis supplied a cross from the right and Masouras was there to convert, sending the home side into the dressing room 2-0 ahead.
A Dutch response after the interval
The contest changed direction after the restart. Virgil van Dijk reduced the deficit with a forceful header from close range, beyond a helpless Tzolakis, and the Dutch pressure became increasingly difficult for Greece to contain.
Denzel Dumfries thought he had brought the visitors level twice, but each of his finishes was disallowed following offside decisions. Greece nevertheless remained within reach of a third straight victory, having produced eight attempts and held a strong chance of winning for much of the night.
That prospect disappeared in the closing stages. Reijnders arrived at the first post to strike a volley from close distance, completing the Netherlands’ recovery and ensuring that a match shaped by Greece’s first-half authority ended with a point shared across the two camps.
