Plan Veurink – the Oranje scores effortlessly in Hungary

Last night in Debrecen, Hungary, the Oranjevrouwen displayed unprecedented carefree play by overwhelming the hosts with a 0‑8 victory, exactly according to the detailed Plan Veurink that the coach and his players had worked out beforehand. The result confirmed the effectiveness of their tactical preparation.

Veurink's plan

National team coach Arjan Veurink had made it clear beforehand that Hungary would set up defensively and sometimes place eleven players in its own penalty area. He asked his players to switch positions quickly, stay patient and look for spaces ‘between the lines’.

On match day Veurink added that early crosses and deep runs would be crucial. The execution of the plan went even better than hoped; the Oranjevrouwen found the desired spaces and exploited the compact Hungarian line without difficulty.

Pelova and Wilms in practice

Victoria Pelova, normally a winger, was given the freedom to operate as an attacking midfielder. She scored a hat‑trick, with her first goal coming from a perfect one‑two after a pass from Damaris Egurrola, after which Lineth Beerensteyn finished the ball.

Lynn Wilms was deployed on match day as a right‑back instead of the Ballon d’Or‑nominated Kerstin Casparij. Exactly 127 seconds after the first goal she delivered an early cross that took Beerensteyn to 0‑2, and she created a total of five chances – the most of all the Oranje internationals after Esmee Brugts, who created six chances. Despite those chances Wilms provided only one assist, as some teammates failed to take the opportunities.

"I just know that I have a good cross in my legs and that I know where to lay it," a down‑to‑earth Wilms said after the match. "And the girls also know where they need to go. I think we are well coordinated with each other, yes."

Veurink repeated his satisfaction: "Deep runs and crosses, those are the things we want to see. The way we executed it makes me very satisfied."

For the return match against Hungary, next Tuesday in Tilburg, Veurink has few areas for improvement. He is also considering giving Sophie Proost and Isa Kardinaal, who spent another ninety minutes on the bench in Hungary, a debut, while injury prevention now has the highest priority.