Liverpool team-mate saves Virgil van Dijk after latest referee controversy as Dominik Szoboszlai shines
Virgil van Dijk saw a penalty awarded against him just four minutes into the Netherlands' Euro 2024 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.
The 32-year-old Liverpool captain, who on Friday saw his Premier League ban for a sending-off against Newcastle United last month extended, was earning a landmark 60th cap for Holland but was quickly enduring an evening to forget at Dublin's Aviva Stadium as referee Irfan Peljito deemed Van Dijk to have handled an early corner. Handed the opportunity to fire his side ahead so early, forward Adam Idah made no mistake in slotting past Mark Flekken.
However, Van Dijk was eventually bailed out by the efforts of Liverpool team-mate Cody Gakpo, who inspired the Oranjes to victory by restoring parity with a penalty just 15 minutes later. Like Idah had done earlier in the first half, the Liverpool forward fired his effort into the right-hand corner and past a helpless Gavin Bazunu.
Then, after being made to weather a late first-half storm by Stephen Kelly's side, Holland notched themselves ahead on 56 minutes when on-loan Burnley forward Wout Weghorst cushioned Denzel Dumfries' cross into the box before applying the finishing touch.
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Van Dijk saved by Liverpool team-mate after more referee drama as Szoboszlai stuns for Hungary
The 2-1 victory in Dublin edged Van Dijk and Gakpo closer to securing their place at next summer's European Championships in Germany, with Holland sitting second in Group B with four qualifying games remaining.
Elsewhere, Dominik Szoboszlai relished an enjoyable outing for Hungary as he played the full 90 minutes of their 1-1 friendly draw with the Czech Republic. The
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