Wijnaldum Relieved By The Dutch To Taste Victory Again
JAKARTA - Georginio Wijnaldum admits that he is relieved that the Dutch national team has finally tasted victory by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 in the UEFA Nations League Division A Group 1 (A1) continued at the Johan Cruijff Arena Stadium, Amsterdam, Sunday local time (Monday WIB).
The result was the Netherlands' first victory after undergoing five winning matches in both the Nations League and friendly matches.
"We haven't won five games already, it's really nice to finally feel the victory again," Wijnaldum said after the match as reported by Antara from the official UEFA website.
"We actually also had a chance to win against Spain, but that didn't happen, leaving a little frustration," he added.
Wijnaldum, who took on the captain's armband amid Virgil van Dijk's absence due to injury, contributed two goals for the Netherlands' win over Bosnia.
The brace ended Wijnaldum's drought with the Netherlands throughout 2020, after having missed 2019 as his most fertile year with a score of eight goals.
These goals cannot be separated from the role played by Wijnaldum with the Netherlands, namely the position of the number 10 player rather than the ball winning midfielder who often does when defending Liverpool.
"If I play the role of waiting for the ball, I rarely enter the opponent's penalty box, but here I am a number 10 player so I am expected to enter the opponent's penalty box. Basically I am doing my assigned job," concluded Wijnaldum.
The victory over Bosnia saw the Netherlands rise to the top of the Group A1 standings with a collection of eight points, keeping their hopes up to qualify for the last four of the Nations League, while waiting for the result between Poland and Italy which is played later.