Romania and the Netherlands met in Munich on the final day of the quarterfinals of Euro 2024. Even though Koeman’s men were picked to win the match, the Romanians were no pushover.
So, Romania won their group after drawing with Slovakia and losing to Belgium. With four points, Iordanescu’s squad slipped out of first position. Despite finishing in third place, the Netherlands still managed to score four points and made it to the round of 16. The results of Koeman’s squad remain shrouded in mystery. Even though a tie with France is still good, the loss to Austria made the Oranje faithful question their team’s priorities.
The Romanians were unable to assist Nicusor Banca, the starting left back, because of disqualification. No suspensions were imposed on the Netherlands.
There was a sluggish start to the game. In the opening minutes, the Netherlands, as expected, controlled the ball but failed to make any progress. It is commendable that Iordanescu’s men attempted to press high. The moment a chance presented itself, the Romanians attempted to switch from defense to attack. Slowly but surely, the Romanian national team started playing like the top dog. A man took a risky shot from outside the penalty area, but his shot went wide of the goal.
Neither team knew what was going on, but that didn’t make the game dull. It was in the 20th minute that the Dutch took the lead. With the score at 0:1, Cody Gakpo sprinted into the penalty area from the flank and blasted a shot into the near corner. Nitsa has a lot of questions due to the goalkeeper’s responsibility to answer for the near corner. With this victory under their belts, Koeman’s men felt more assured in their abilities and were able to further extend their lead. De Vrij missed the near corner after a corner. The Romanian national team’s performance deteriorated after the missed goal, and they were unable to bounce back. In spite of their excellent play, the Dutch were unable to score before halftime.
Ratiu saved a golden opportunity for Depay just before halftime in the second half. Following the break, the Dutch national team resumed their confident play. Van Dijk struck the crossbar in the 58th minute following a corner kick. The players for Iordanescu were extremely fortunate.
The goal scored by Gakpo in the 64th minute was disallowed due to offside. Even though they had the field under control, Koeman’s squad was unable to extend their lead. The winner was no longer a question at the 83rd minute. With a cross from Gakpo, Malen found an empty net and scored to make it 0:2. In stoppage time, the same Malen scored the game-winning goal, 0:3.
The Netherlands came out on top in the game. The squad coached by Koeman will advance to the quarterfinals.
France 2024: quarterfinals
July 2nd, at 8:30 PM. Located in Munich. “Alliance Arena”
Three goals scored by Romania against the Netherlands
Malen (83, 90+3) and Gakpo (20) scored goals.
The Romanian capital: Bucharest By Racovican (38), Raciu, Dregusin, Burke, and Mogos – Marius Marin (73 years old) – Man, Rezvan Marin, Stanciu, Hadji (Alibek, 72 years old) – Dregus (Miheile, 72 years old)
Netherlands: Verbruggen vs. Dumfries, de Vrij vs. van Dijk, Ake vs. Schouten, Reynders vs. Gakpo, Depay vs. Blind, Bergwijn vs. Malen,