Starting in place of the injured Robin van Persie, new Schalke striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored the second, third, and fourth goals of the Netherlands’ 5-0 demolition of perpetual minnows, San Marino.
The Netherlands opened the scoring with a Dirk Kuyt penalty kick in the 16th minute. Huntelaar added the second in the 38th minute, sending the match to half 2-0. Two move from Huntelaar after break preceded Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 34th international goal.
The plus-five goal difference launch the Netherlands to the top of Group E, ahead of fellow Friday winners Sweden and Moldova.
38’ - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 1
48’ - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 2
67’ - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 3
90’ - Ruud van Nistelrooy 1
15’ - Davide Simoncini (Yellow)
35’ - Hedwiges Maduro (Yellow)
44 - Alessandro Della Valle (Yellow)
45’ - Maicol Berretti (Yellow)
64’ - Simone Bacciocchi (Yellow)
San Marino: Simoncini, Vitaiolo, Valle (Bacciocchi 61’), Simoncini, Valentini, Berretti, Vannucci, Mazza, Marani (Gasperoni 76’), Selva, Vitaioli (Ciacci 83’)
Netherlands: Stekelenberg, Mathijsen, Maduro, Pieters, van der Wiel, Sneijder, van Bommel, de Jong (van der Vaart 46’), Kuyt (van Nistelrooy 68’), Elia (Afellay 59’), Huntelaar
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Netherlands
Anatolij Doros, Moldova
Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands
Alexandru Suvorov, Moldova
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Netherlands