Estonia 0-4 Netherlands: 3 talking points | Euro 2020 Qualification   

Netherlands put up a masterclass in Tallinn, as they ran out with a convincing 4-0 win away against Estonia, in their quest for qualification to Euro 2020.

Goals from Memphis Depay, Gini Wijnaldum and a brace from Ryan Babel were enough to give Ronald Koeman's men all three points against their hosts.

The win sees The Oranje move up to nine points in Group C, and they would very much fancy their chances of breaking into the top two to seal qualification to the continent's biggest international tournament.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from Netherlands' whitewash of Estonia.

#3 The victory piles the pressure on the top two in Group C

Netherlands began their Euro 2020 qualification journey with a convincing 4-0 victory over Bulgaria on matchday 1, but a 2-3 home defeat to Germany just three days later halted their early momentum.

This defeat coupled with the fact that Northern Ireland won each of their first four matches, while Germany won their first three put the Netherlands on the backseat, and they entered the most recent round of qualifiers with a distinct disadvantage.

The 1988 European champions failed to qualify for each of the last editions of both the World Cup and Euro, and fans would have been forgiven for thinking that this campaign was set to end in another disaster.

However, Netherlands have seen an upturn in fortune in recent years under Ronald Koeman and made it all the way to the final of the Nations League (relegating Germany in the process), and a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Die Mannschaft very much put their campaign back on track.

Heading into the clash against Estonia, Netherlands needed an outright victory to keep their momentum on track, and they responded accordingly, with an emphatic 4-0 victory giving them all three points.

This win coupled with Germany's away victory over Northern Ireland means that Ronald Koeman's men are just three points behind the top two, with their destiny very much in their own hands, and this places so much more significance on their matchday 6 clash at home with Northern Ireland.

#2 Estonia fail to put up much of a challenge

Estonia did not challenge the Netherlands

Estonia are currently ranked 99th in the world, and when they were drawn in Group C against Germany (15), Netherlands (16) and Northern Ireland (29), it meant that they had their work cut out for them.

The Sinisärgid have never made an appearance at either the World Cup or European Championship and were not expected to pose a threat in Group C, and thus far, that has proved to be the case.

Estonia are yet to win a single point from five matches, posting defeats in all five fixtures, while they have scored just two goals and conceded a whopping 28 goals in the process.

Of those 28, four came in the latest fixture against Netherlands, and the visitors' jobs were made much easier by the lack of resistance posed by the hosts.

Despite being the home team, Estonia did not make this advantage count, although admittedly, it would have been asking too much to expect much from a team against opponents ranked over 80 place above them.

Across the entirety of the 90 minutes, Estonia managed just one shot, with just 28% possession, and at this juncture, it is safe to say that their wait for participation at a major tournament is set to go on for at least another three years.

#1 Memphis Depay and Ryan Babel leading Netherlands' charge

Memphis Depay has been spectacular for the Netherlands

Memphis Depay emerged as a prodigy with his displays at PSV, but he failed to step up to the plate following a big money transfer to Manchester United in 2015.

The 25-year-old has however found a new lease of life following his transfer to Lyon, and he has re-established himself as an integral member of Netherlands' revival under Ronald Koeman.

Depay has displayed all the traits which made him a household name at PSV throughout Holland's qualification campaign as well as the Nations League, weighing in with a massive seven assists and four goals from just four qualification fixtures.

7 - @Memphis is the first player with seven assists in a single year for the Netherlands since Rafael van der Vaart in 2010. Provider.

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) September 9, 2019

In the game against Estonia, Memphis Depay assisted Ryan Babel for his second goal while also getting a well deserved goal after 76 minutes before setting Gini Wijnaldum up for the icing on the cake in the 87th minute.

For his part, with his brace against Estonia, Ryan Babel became the player with the third longest distance between his first and most recent goals for Netherlands after Abe Lenstra and Faas Wilkes, and despite the fact that he would turn 33 in December, the Galatasaray forward continues to prove his usefulness for his team.

5280 - Only Abe Lenstra & Faas Wilkes have more days between their first and most recent Netherlands goal than Ryan Babel after his goal against Estonia. Longevity. pic.twitter.com/v9Gcp1LIIV

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) September 9, 2019

With these two in the form they're in, you can count on them delivering for Netherlands to take their country to the promised land.