AMSTERDAM ARENA, Netherlands — Sometimes a change of scenery can make all the difference. It worked for Turkey, decamping to Konya from Istanbul midway through their Euro 2016 qualification campaign and plotting an improbable course towards France.
Last week the Netherlands—the nation left (eventually vainly) clawing for scraps with Fatih Terim’s team in Group A behind Czech Republic and Iceland—took a leaf out of that particular book, seeing off the challenge of Belarus in Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord’s perpetually bouncing De Kuip home.
That win, topped off by a stunning strike by Tottenham Hotspur’s Vincent Janssen, was most welcome.