Poland 1-2 Netherlands
Two European Juggernauts tussled at Volksparkstadion yesterday to start their Euro 2024 campaigns. It was a clash between Poland and the Netherlands, which needed some late-game heroics to finish the job.
Ultimately, the Netherlands got the opening win in Hamburg, but it wasn’t a walk in the park for the Dutchmen, that’s for sure. It took them until the match’s dying minutes to secure the win.
This contest was probably the most nail-biter of a match so far in the tournament, but don’t worry if you missed out on any of the action, as SBOTOP provides an in-depth analysis below.
Highlights of the game
On the whole, the Netherlands, who are one of the Euro 2024 odds favourites coming into the tournament, bagged their first win in this year’s edition of the European Championship by coming back from an early-goal deficit thanks to the heroics of Cody Gakpo and Wout Weghorst.
However, it wasn’t a cakewalk for Oranje, not one bit, as Poland’s Adam Buksa had early success, putting the Polish up 1-0 in just 16 minutes of play.
The Antalyaspor forward struck a beauty to kick off Poland’s campaign. Buksa took advantage of his towering height and thumped in a textbook header to give Poland their dream start. But their glee didn’t last that long, as the Netherlands struck back just a few minutes later.
Cody Gakpo was undeniably the standout player of the first half. The Liverpool forward, who had already scored three for Oranje during the qualifiers, picked up where he left off with a stunning run and strike in the 29th minute to bring Poland back to earth and level the contest.
Gakpo was all over the field, keeping Poland on their toes for the entire first half. The PSV academy graduate struck at the goal five times, two of which were on target. He also created three chances for his compatriots and weaved through four successful dribbles.
As good as Gakpo was, Ronald Koeman and the rest of his outfit desperately needed a closer to secure all three points. So, Koeman turned to his secret weapon, Hoffenheim’s No. 10, Wout Weghorst.
“Wout Weghorst was able to play, and he has added value to the team. He has a different way of behaving, and that is what we needed,” Koeman said.
Weghorst was one of the main catalysts for Oranje’s success during the qualifiers, scoring three goals. He immediately delivered just two minutes after subbing in the match against Poland, striking the winning goal in the 83rd minute to grant Oranje the pivotal win.
“It was a tough match (against) a tough opponent,” Man of the Match Cody Gakpo shared during a post-game interview. “(They were) well organised, and they scored first, so it was a little bit more difficult, but we created a lot of good opportunities, he added. “Overall, we performed pretty well, and they performed pretty well as well, but we have to be more clinical.”
Key Statistics
Despite their loss, Poland showed a spirited effort and even led the match in the opening minutes, proving they could hold their own even without the services of their talisman, Robert Lewandowski.
Poland were deadly accurate on goal, attempting 12 shots, of which seven were on target. And this is without the nation’s all-time top scorer, Lewandowski.
Fortunately for Poland and their fans, Lewangoalski is expected to return to the pitch soon.
“Lewandowski is coming back to strength, and he will hopefully play against Austria. He is a very important player for us, Poland boss Michal Probierz stated. “Hopefully, we will have more competition in this team. We are not giving up. We will do everything we can to qualify.”
As for the Netherlands, they proved to be the more complete and polished side at Volksparkstadion. They controlled the ball for 66 per cent of the match and passed it almost twice as much as Poland did.
Poland was more accurate on goal, but the sheer volume of attacks Oranje generated was just too much for Poland’s bulwark. The Netherlands had a field day on the attacking end, putting up 21 total attempts—their most in a major tournament since 2012 against Denmark when they shot 32 times.
What’s next?
Poland will face Austria in Berlin later this week. We have yet to see Austria in action in the tournament, but nonetheless, Poland should hope Lewandowski will be available for that game and all the games moving forward.
As for Oranje, they will next face the final boss of their cluster, France, who are capable of producing Euro 2024 highlights against anyone on any given night. All in all, France vs Netherlands will be at the centre of the marquee for that matchday, and the entire football world should be glued to their seats for that spectacle.
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