Van Dijk volley sends Dutch to Nations League finals

Virgil van Dijk scored a sublime last-minute volley to send the Netherlands through to the UEFA Nations League finals in dramatic fashion on Monday night.

With his country trailing 2-1 to Germany in the final moments of the Group A1 tie and heading for a second-place finish, the Liverpool defender guided a precise shot beyond Manuel Neuer in Gelsenkirchen.

The Dutch – for whom Georginio Wijnaldum played an hour – therefore snatched top spot ahead of world champions France and will join Portugal, England and Switzerland in next summer’s final tournament.

Elsewhere in the Nations League, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was an unused substitute for Republic of Ireland as they played out a goalless stalemate with Denmark.

Curtis Jones helped England U18s seal success in a mini-tournament in Spain – the Reds midfielder featured for just under an hour of a 3-1 victory against Belgium.

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