On June 28, the European Championship quarter-final broke out of the big cold, and the Netherlands, the top team in Group C, lost 0-2 to the Czech Republic, regrettably stopping the round of 16. In this match, the Dutch team lost a bit, they had the opportunity to score first, but the 22-year-old talented striker Mullen missed a single knife goal, and then De Ligt was sent off with a red card. The Czech team was highly morale, and thanks to Khorşz's passing, they finally won the game 2-0.
In the group stage, the Netherlands performed very well. They beat Ukraine 3-2, Austria 2-0 and North Macedonia 3-0, scoring eight goals and conceding only two goals in all three wins to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, the Dutch team avoided the traditional strong teams, and the opponents in the quarter-quarter were not hot balls. In the eyes of many fans, the Orange Army has a good chance to reach the top 4.
Unexpectedly, the Dutch team lost in the first knockout game, and they lost to the Czech team. The Czech Republic's performance in the group stage was impressive. They won Scotland, drew with Croatia and eventually lost to England by just one goal to advance to the round of 16 with a second-place finish in the group.
Facing the Czech Republic, the two sides attacked and defended each other in the first half, and Dutch red Dumfries made a lot of threats on the wing. On the Czech side, Shoček's header slid past the goal, and Barak's shot was blocked by De Ligt's flying body. Throughout the first half, the two sides drew 0-0.
Entering the second half, the situation on the field suddenly changed. In the 51st minute, Dutch striker Mullen crossed the entire Czech defence in one fell swoop, but the ball was saved by the opponent when he faced the goalkeeper with a single knife, regretting that he missed the opportunity to score. Just a minute later, De Ligt deliberately handballed outside the penalty area while fighting Hick, and the referee on duty initially showed a yellow card, but after reviewing the VAR, he changed the red card and directly sent De Ligt off.
In just 2 minutes, the Dutch experienced a feeling from heaven to hell, and they could only play with 10 players in the following matches. After the Czech team did not die, the morale of the team soared. In the 68th minute, the Czech Republic won a set-piece opportunity on the right side of the field, Barak drove the ball into the box, Karas nodded the ball across the net, and the Czech No. 9 Khorëš header in front of the goal was scored to help the Czech Republic take a 1-0 lead.
In the 80th minute, after Khorş broke the ball and then knocked on the left side of the front, Hick followed up with an easy push into the net, scoring the fourth goal of this European Championship, helping the Czech Republic to lock in a 2-0 victory.
In the end, the Czech Republic defeated the Netherlands 2-0 to become the third team to advance to the quarter-finals. In the next quarter-finals, their opponents will be Denmark. The Netherlands team became the top player in the group in the first game, exposing a major cold goal in this European Championship.