Gakpo stars as Oranje cruise through to quarter-finals

Cody Gakpo scored one and made one as the Netherlands eased into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with a win over Romania in Munich that was far more convincing than the scoreline suggests.

Gakpo finished a lovely, flowing move after 20 minutes to join Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala and Ivan Schranz as the leading contenders for the Golden Boot with three goals in the tournament.

The Liverpool man then supplied Donyell Malen for the Netherlands’ second late on, and the Borussia Dortmund forward grabbed a third in injury-time, as they set up a clash with Austria or Turkey on Saturday.

𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑-𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒! 🇳🇱#NothingLikeOranje #ROUNED pic.twitter.com/E3KB9t9FKE

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) July 2, 2024

It ended in a comfortable win but the scoreline, if not the balance of play, was tight for the bulk of the game as the Dutch were repeatedly denied a second goal through poor finishing and some heroic Romania defending.

It was the only criticism you could level at the Oranje after a strong performance that will do much to restore their self-belief after they could only manage a third-placed finish in Group D.

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Romania started well but faded

Romania, roared by a large support clad in yellow, started brightly, showing plenty of confidence as they pressed the Dutch back into their own half.

Bart Verbruggen was not called into any serious action, though, with the closest Romania coming to a goal being a Dennis Man shot that whistled inches over the goalkeeper’s bar.

The Netherlands had offered little going forward when they finally strung some passes together in a nice move that culminated in them taking the lead.

Jerdy Schouten played through the lines to Xavi Simons who, in turn, picked out Gakpo hugging the left touchline. The Liverpool forward cut inside and fired a…

Source link : https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/romania-0-3-netherlands-gakpo-stars-as-oranje-cruise-through-to-quarter-finals/

Author : Jon Fisher

Publish date : 2024-07-02 17:59:15

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