Virgil van Dijk admitted the Netherlands' World Cup qualifier against Finland was tough after a long season, but was delighted to get their campaign off to a winning start.

The Netherlands cruised to a 2-0 victory over Finland on Saturday, thanks to goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries within the first 25 minutes.

The Oranje allowed just five shots on their goal, with Mark Flekken making just two saves, while they had 17 attempts (six on target) and accumulated 2.2 expected goals (xG).

The Netherlands sit third in Group G after their first qualifier, but are just three points behind Poland, who have won both of their matches so far.

"The first one is always difficult. Especially under these circumstances, two weeks after such a long season for everyone. So, it's important that we got three points," Van Dijk told NOS after the match.

"But I want to go to the World Cup. This is the start of our cycle; it's all about the three points.

"We played well for most of the match against a team that sits back a bit more. You have to play around them, because the centre is packed. The first hour was good, but the last half hour needs to be better."

Like his captain, Ronald Koeman was satisfied with how well the Netherlands started, though he is still eyeing improvements after a slower second half.

While they were still on top, they only managed six efforts on goal after the break, while their final-third entries dropped from 35 to 28 in the second half.

"I thought we started very well, quickly scored the opening goal. That is what you always want, especially in these types of matches against a team that plays with a lot of people behind the ball. We did that well," Koeman said.

"After about 30 or 35 minutes, I thought we were already a bit sloppy in possession. I also thought we no longer had real pressure on us.

"We did not create many chances, and that continued in the second half. That may be logical, but you want to get even more out of a match like this. The result is fine, but I hope we play a better second half against Malta on Tuesday."