Despite having 23 attempts throughout the match, Ronald Koeman’s team was guaranteed a spot in the round of eight thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo in the first half and Donyell Malen, a late substitute, in the second half.
With little fear, Romania had gone into their first knockout match since Euro 2000. By the ten-minute mark, the Dutch were forced to settle for second best due to their enthusiasm and upbeat demeanor. Still, it was only a brief moment of anxiety.
Gakpo, who has been the Dutch team’s talisman lately, scored his third goal of the competition when he deftly sent the ball past goalkeeper Florin Nita at his near post after getting a touch inside Andrei Ratiu.
As a result, he joined Dennis Bergkamp and Johnny Rep as the only players to score three or more goals for the Netherlands at two separate major championships.
LIVE Trending Transfer Center! England vs. Switzerland: Guehi, De Ligt, and Sancho most recent: who should take his place? Cast your ballot!
Idah, a striker for Norwich, is being pursued by Celtic to be signed permanently.
Live coverage of Wimbledon! Alcaraz and Raducanu in action following Gauff’s Man Utd transfer victory: Updates on Sancho, Ugarte, and Zirkzee
Although Ronaldo’s set-piece statistics are poor, his other stats are far
Joey Veerman then slid a shot agonizingly across the goal after Depay hit a free-kick inches past the left-hand post. However, they eventually secured the crucial second goal when Gakpo kept the ball alive on the byline and squared for Malen, who was unable to mistake.
With the last play of the game, the brilliant Malen put the finishing touches on a well-played ball by Simons. He cut inside Razvan Marin and found the bottom corner.
Ronald Koeman, head coach of the Netherlands: “It can be challenging to explain why you perform poorly in one game and perform well in the next.”
“We made the difference today because we were focused right from the start. The fact that it took too long to score the second goal could be a crucial factor.
“This team is full of talent, but you have to win something before people start comparing us to [winning the 1988 Euros].”
“But football has changed; it is now more physical, more tough, and requires quickness and technical skill.
“Portugal and England, each with their own issues to deal with”
Leave a Reply