The Netherlands opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a win on Saturday, brushing aside Finland 2–0 in Helsinki.

The visitors took the lead quickly: Memphis Depay, who is aiming to become the Netherlands' all-time top scorer, capitalised on the Finns' poor defending to score his 48th goal in the famous orange jersey. The Corinthians striker now needs just three more goals to equal Robin van Persie's all-time international record.

Koeman's side dominated the first half, quickly adding a second through Denzel Dumfries. He cleverly got on the end of a cross from Cody Gakpo and struck the ball emphatically past Hradecky.

Finland attempted to gain momentum on the counterattack, with Antman bypassing Dumfries and firing at Flekken, who made an easy save.

Memphis nearly scored again ten minutes after half-time, but the veteran striker could not beat Hradecky in a one-on-one situation.

Both sides slowed down in the second half as some players dealt with cramp and injuries after a long season. Finland were held to zero shots for the first 40 minutes after the break, only breaking that deadlock when Antman fired his second accurate shot of the match at Flekken.

A quick combination between Wout Weghorst and Frenkie de Jong gave the latter the opportunity to score his first goal for the Netherlands since the 2022 World Cup, but the Barcelona midfielder's shot went wide of Hradecky's far post.

The Netherlands held onto their two-goal cushion to comfortably open their World Cup qualifying campaign with a win over a toothless Finland. Oranje will continue their journey to the 2026 World Cup with a home game against Malta on Tuesday 10 June.