ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - The Netherlands thrashed Ivory Coast 5-0 in a friendly Sunday as midfielder Wesley Sneijder made his record-equaling 130th appearance for the Dutch national team.
Defender Joel Veltman scored his first two goals for the national team and in between those strikes captain Arjan Robben converted a penalty as the Netherlands took a 3-0 lead into halftime.
Davy Klaassen made it 4-0 in the 69th minute and was immediately replaced by Sneijder, who matched former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar’s record. Vincent Janssen tapped in a rebound in the 75th to complete the scoring.
It was the last match for the Netherlands before new coach Dick Advocaat takes over with a mission to secure an unlikely World Cup qualification.
Advocaat will be in charge on Friday when the Netherlands takes on Luxembourg in Rotterdam in a World Cup Group A qualifier. The Dutch currently are fourth in the group, from which only the winner gains automatic qualification.
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