The Netherlands comfortably beat Malta 4-0 in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday evening but commentators said it was not a convincing performance despite the scoreline.

Cody Gakpo scored twice from the penalty spot, with Tijjani Reijnders and Memphis Depay adding the other goals.

With 13 points from six matches in qualifying group G, Ronald Koeman’s side strengthened their position in the race for the 2026 World Cup and are now three points clear. But their sluggish first half and sloppy defending left little to celebrate beyond the result.

Captain Virgil van Dijk admitted the team struggled to find rhythm early on. “In the first half the tempo was too low; in the second we pulled away and won as expected, but it wasn’t easy,” he said.

Koeman said he was satisfied with the win but acknowledged his side could have been sharper. “You win 4-0, so that’s fine, but we needed to move the ball quicker to find space. In the second half we did that better and gave everything until the end.”

“It wasn’t frustrating,” he said, “but it can and must be better.”