Memphis Depay said he is proud to stand alone at the top of the Netherlands scoring list after his double sealed a 3-2 win away to Lithuania and lifted the Dutch to 10 points from 4 World Cup qualifying matches. The forward moved to 52 international goals, passing Robin van Persie’s mark of 50.
Depay struck after 11 minutes to claim the record, then rose to head the winner in the second half after Lithuania had recovered from two down to make it 2-2 before the interval. Quinten Timber scored the other Dutch goal; Gvidas Gineitis and Edvinas Girdvainis replied for the hosts.
“I am super proud and very glad I got past Robin. I thanked everyone in the dressing room,” Depay told Dutch television, name-checking former team mates Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben, and citing Patrick Kluivert as an early inspiration. He also answered critics of his consistency, saying the national side “actually have a striker who scores a lot of goals”.
The Brazil-based Corinthians forward had drawn level with Van Persie on 50 with a double against Malta in June, then missed the chance to set the record in a 1-1 draw with Poland last week. He now has 52 goals in 104 caps.
Despite the victory and Depay’s milestone, questions persist around Ronald Koeman’s team after they let a strong start slip in Kaunas and needed a second-half response. The Dutch remain top of Group G, with home fixtures against Malta and Finland to come in October before a key meeting with Poland in November.
