Mounting a dramatic comeback on Sunday afternoon, the Netherlands opened this summer’s European Championships with a 2-1 victory against Poland in Hamburg.
While Holland might have got their EURO 24 adventure underway pencilled in as a standout contender this weekend, Ronald Koeman’s men were left stunned after just 16 minutes as Adam Buksa glanced home.
However, dominating for large spells on either side of the half-time break, the European giants equalised just 13 minutes later as Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo saw his deflected effort find a way past ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Although the Netherlands might have been moments away from opening their Group D campaign with a downbeat point, it was former Manchester United loanee Wout Weghorst who stole all of Sunday’s headlines late on.
Coming off the bench and producing a clinical finish with just seven minutes left on the clock, Holland eventually dragged themselves to what was a crucial opening victory in Hamburg.
Now sat in the driving seat to punch a knockout stage ticket, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Sunday’s showdown.
Holland’s resilience pays off
While Holland might have initially struggled to find their feet following Koeman’s return last year, the European heavyweights have certainly turned a real corner and some have even billed them as a potential dark horse contender this summer.
Enjoying what was a major EURO 24 qualifying romp last year as they won six of their final seven Group B appearances, the former Barcelona boss has seen his squad gain plenty of plaudits.
With the likes of PSG starlet Xavi Simons spearheading this new era of Dutch football, Koeman’s side will certainly be confident of booking a knockout stage ticket this month.
Dominating large spells of proceedings on either side of the half-time break here, the Netherlands also appear to have found a real clinical edge in the final third.
Signing off their pre-tournament…
Author : Tom Dunstan
Publish date : 2024-06-16 23:31:45
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
—-
Author : soccernews
Publish date : 2024-06-17 00:26:33
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.