The Netherlands deactivate Romania and beat them to advance to the next round

Benefiting from a fortunate draw in the round of 16, and even more so from their position as third in the group, the Netherlands team regained their intensity, restored their conviction and emerged as the unbeatable winners of their duel against Romania, deactivated by Cody Gakpo’s goal, which marked the visible difference between the two teams with 0-1, increased in the final moments by Donyell Malen’s double.

The gap on the scoreboard was even shorter than on the pitch, which was the property of the Dutch team from the first goal to the end, with enough chances, especially in the second half, to have gone much further in the figures, without ever allowing their opponent to react and rediscovering a version much more in line with the players and the team they have at Euro Germany 2024, the biggest event for national football teams on the old continent.

The match lasted 20 minutes. Romania was lively, pressing, daring, with the ambition to challenge itself with its own history, with the legendary Gica Hagi as a witness, with a couple of actions that were more than worrying for Vebruggen, but it remained just that; as soon as the Netherlands imposed the quality of its most in-form player and its best scorer: Gakpo, already with three goals in the tournament.

He had already drawn up his plan. His objective was to face Andrei Ratiu one-on-one. He announced it the day before and made it concrete on the open ground that he found on several occasions. He outflanked him to take a position and release his right foot with which he relaunched the Netherlands, after the last few days of tension, criticism and conversation.

Powerful shot

It was the 20th minute. His powerful shot, very close, 121 kilometres per hour and travelling just six metres, was out of Nita’s reach, even though the ball went to the near post, his own, but with enough power and positioning to beat it, without any obvious fault on the part of the goalkeeper. The goal, 0-1, was the beginning of the end for Romania.

The Netherlands took control of the match. With and without the ball. In every sector, they emerged superior, with much more defined ideas, apart from the difference in talent already assumed and evident from the moment that Euro 2024 brought them together in the round of 16, even though Romania looked like they were first in Group E and their rival emerged as third in Group D.

With Ianis Hagi bandaged up and Mogos out of action after being substituted with a head injury, both times due to the impact with Dumfries, the Dutch side controlled practically everything. They also created more. Memphis missed the target on two occasions, one of them with a clear shot on the edge of the six-yard box in which he failed to control, while Dragusin came to the rescue of every misstep by the exposed and vulnerable Romanian defence. Then he missed the 0-2, already in the final stretch.

There was the change that Koeman wanted. In attitude, in intensity, in attack, in defence, in midfield. The Dutch team applied themselves much more in their second and last opportunity in the tournament. Knowing the disappointment of the 2-3 against Austria, the lesson seems to have been learned by the Dutch group, who insisted and insisted, already with options to even score a goal.

The auction

In the 55th minute, the lead was more than short. Because Memphis missed, because Van Dijk hit the post with a header, because Gakpo tried his hand at a brace, denied by the goalkeeper, but all within the unmistakable feeling that Sunday was so overwhelming that the verdict was only a matter of time and strike, subdued as it was by Romania, whose attacking plays were more of an adventure than a real proposition.

A huge difference, only limited in the result by Nita’s saves, the Dutch’s own lack of inefficiency and the centimetres that Gakpo was ahead (and detected by the VAR) for his goal disallowed after the hour mark of the match in Munich.

The Netherlands were not even able to make it 2-0 until Gakpo invented the goal with a back pass to Malen and sealed the victory, which was further enhanced by Malen on the counterattack. In the quarter-finals, Austria or Turkey will be the rivals of a Clockwork Orange team that seems ready for a bigger challenge.

Munich / EFE