In the early morning of July 3, Beijing time, the 1/8 finals of the European Cup, the Netherlands VS Romania. Gakpo scored 1 goal and 1 assist, Malen scored 2 goals, and the Netherlands eliminated the opponent 3-0 and advanced to the top 8 of the European Championship, becoming the 7th team to lock a place in the top 8! After 16 years, the Netherlands once again reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship. It was a crushing victory, with the Netherlands dominating across the board, in stark contrast to the slump in the group stage.
Romania topped Group E, while the Netherlands finished third in Group D. From the perspective of head-to-head history, the Netherlands has 10 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in 14 matches against Romania, with a goal difference of 29-3, and the only defeat was in the European qualifiers in October 2007, which was lost 0-1.
The Netherlands lined up 4231 formations, with Depay, Bergwijn, Gakpo, and Xavi Simons forming an attacking line; Romania's 4141 formation, Stanciu and Haji Jr. led the game. The Allianz Arena was packed with celebrities, with Hagi, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Lucescu all on hand to watch the action.
In the 20th minute, the Netherlands broke the deadlock:
Xavi Simons passed, Gakpo cut into the box with the ball, dodged Latianu's defense, and then shot hard, the ball flew into the near corner, and the Netherlands led 1-0!
The 25-year-old has scored a total of 12 goals for the Netherlands, six of which have come at the World Series – three at the World Cup and three at the European Championships. Gakpo is also tied with Mikautadze, Musiala and Schlanz as the top scorer in the European Championship.
In the 44th minute, the Netherlands created another great chance:
Dumfries made a steal on the right and sent an inverted triangle backpass. Harvey Simons adjusted too much and barely hit the goal with his right foot just wide.
Schouten (left)
In the first half, the Netherlands had 73% possession and won 10 corners, and Dumfries attacked on the right side and completely suppressed the opponent. From the perspective of the scene, the Netherlands was firmly in control of the situation, Schouten played the role of the core of the midfield, and directed the smooth attack and defense of the whole team.
1-0 at half-time, it was not easy for the Netherlands - OPTA data shows that this is the first time that the Netherlands has led at half-time in the knockout stage of the European Championship since the quarter-finals in 2000! In the quarter-finals 24 years ago, the Netherlands swept the former Yugoslavia 6-1 and led 2-0 at half-time.
Dumfries (left)
The Netherlands still had an overwhelming advantage, and Dumfries continued to create opportunities, but Depay and Malen were too generous to take advantage of them. In the 63rd minute, Gakpo scored in a scuffle, but VAR ruled that it was offside and the goal was invalidated.
In the 68th minute, Depay's free kick was close to the ground, almost grazing the post and going out of the bottom line.
The Netherlands were weak in their ability to take chances, playing until 75 minutes, with four of their 18 shots on goal and three major chances missed. In the 83rd minute, the Netherlands extended their lead:
Depay passed, Gakpo dribbled and controlled the ball at the bottom line, and then sent an inverted triangle pass, Mullen followed up and pushed the shot, 2-0!
In the 93rd minute, Malen scored another goal, and the Netherlands sealed the win 3-0!
In this 3-0, the Netherlands set two big records: Malen became the first player to score two goals in this European Cup; After 16 years, the Netherlands once again reached the top 8 of the European Cup! After exiting the group stage of Euro 2012 for the first time, missing out on Euro 2016 and ending in the round of 16 at Euro 2020, the Orange are back. In the "lower half of paradise", the only real strong opponent of the Netherlands is England.