Holland captain Virgil van Dijk shines as Memphis Depay’s revival continues against Portugal

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk toasted his appointment as Holland captain by scoring as his side recorded a thumping 3-0 win against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Geneva.

After Ronald Koeman ensured a difficult first night as Holland coach in last Friday’s home defeat against England, his side turned in an impressive performance to record a thumping victory against the reigning European champions.

Van Dijk’s emergence as a leader of a revamped Holland side was confirmed with his fine goal that gave Koeman’s side a 3-0 half-time advantage, with the re-emergence of Memphis Depay also highlighted as he scored the Dutch opener.

Depay has bounced back from his disappointing spell at Manchester United with an impressive season of form with Lyon in the French league and he posted this video on his Twitter account to toast his return to form with Holland.

“We knew that after the game against England we had to recover something,” said Van Dijk. “That we make three goals is fantastic. Even though we had a hard time in the second half. But that we can play football well is clear. ”

A delighted Koeman suggested a Dutch side that will be absent from this summer’s World Cup finals had started their recovery after their convincing victory.

“If everything is right, we can play football very well. We saw that tonight,” declared a delighted Koeman. “You do not expect to score three goals.

“You also see that the Portuguese do not want to lose. If you saw Ronaldo afterwards … he is not happy.”