You could be forgiven for thinking that the Netherlands was the best team in the world midway through the first half, sometime after Cody Gakpo’s stunning strike and before halftime. Despite a woeful group stage, the Dutch flipped the switch and played like champions in their 3-0 win over Romania. They dominated possession over one of the peskier teams of the tournament. The Netherlands fought off Romania’s high press with ease. They carved up Romania’s compact defense and created several chances in front of a stunned crowd of 65,000.
The Dutch looked and felt unstoppable on the pitch. Their surge in confidence and form comes exactly at the right time. With a quarterfinal bid on the line and looking to redeem themselves after a draw to France and a loss to Austria, the Dutch faced questions about their status as a legitimate contender. But, as they held possession, squeezing the life and morale out of a helpless Romania, the concerns and questions vanished. Led by Cody Gakpo’s goal and assist, the Dutch strolled to the last eight looking like one of the best teams in the tournament.
Their strength showed during the first half after they took the lead. The Dutch played the most beautiful, possession-oriented soccer they have played in a while. Tijjani Reijnders and Stefan de Vrij ping-ponged the ball around the back line. Advanced players like Xavi Simons and Memphis Depay dropped deep. They strung together passes, got several shots on goal, and played the tiki-taka Guardiola could only dream of. After three shaky group stage performances, the Netherlands is finally back.
Gakpo goal gives the Netherlands an early lead
The name Gakpo will come up a lot of times in this piece. And for good reason. The Liverpool winger was indisputably the best player on the pitch today, and he is arguably the best in this tournament. He looked unstoppable on the pitch, whether it was drifting into the middle with his right, bursting down the byline with his…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/uefa-euro/netherlands-rolls-past-romania-to-reach-last-eight/
Author : Deolu Akingbade
Publish date : 2024-07-02 20:25:28
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.