Dumfries' offside decides a draw for the Netherlands

The Dutch national team fought on Thursday evening against Greece to come back from a deficit, but a goal by Denzel Dumfries was disallowed for offside, resulting in the final score being a point.

After more than an hour of play, Dumfries thought he had scored the equaliser. He collected the ball in the penalty area of Panagiotis Retsos and struck it on target.

Goal by Dumfries disallowed

Two minutes later, the VAR, together with referee Marco Guida, blew the whistle for offside. The decision seemed at first unexpected, because Retsos had possession of the ball.

Retsos had received the ball from a header by Mexx Meerdink; at the moment he headed the ball, Dumfries was already in an offside position. The referee judged that Dumfries gained an advantage from that position by putting pressure on Retsos, while he had not yet gained control of the ball.

This judgment aligns with the IFAB rules, which state that offside still applies when the opponent has not yet gained an advantage, for example because there is insufficient time to control the ball or because the ball bounces.

Why the offside applied

The IFAB website explains that offside remains in effect as long as the opponent has not obtained control or advantage, even if the ball is still in the air.

Dumfries protested to Guida: “That defender had full control,” and added: “To me this is therefore not offside.” His complaint was nevertheless not accepted, because the VAR analysis supported the same conclusion.

Despite the missed goal, a late strike by Tijjani Reijnders secured a point for the Oranje.

After the disappointing World Cup, the Dutch national team now faces the 2026/27 Nations League season, in which it will play in the group stage against Germany, Serbia and Greece.

For more details about the Nations League and about the Oranje you can consult the dedicated Nations League page.