Cody Gakpo was key in the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Poland in their first game for Euro 2024 on Sunday.
The game, in Hamburg, saw Gakpo and his Liverpool mate, Virgil van Dijk, shine. Van Dijk, as team lead, was strong in the middle of defense and stayed on for the whole game.
Even though Netherlands kept the ball a lot at first, Poland scored the first goal against the odds.
In the 16th minute, Adam Buksa used his head to score from a corner kick by Piotr Zielinski, making Poland lead. The Dutch team hit back fast, tying the score just before half an hour had passed.
Gakpo took a good hold of the ball and shot from far away. His shot hit a defender, making the Polish keeper, Wojciech Szczesny, miss the ball as it went into the net.
After half-time, Netherlands tried hard for a win. Denzel Dumfries and Xavi Simons were close to scoring, but Poland was also a threat. Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made a lot of good saves to keep his team in play.
As the match neared its conclusion, Gakpo was substituted off in the 81st minute, with the score still level at 1-1.
Just two minutes later, substitute Wout Weghorst made a decisive impact. Finding space in the box, Weghorst slotted a low shot into the bottom corner, securing the win for the Netherlands.
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Gakpo shared with UEFA his post-match analysis: “The game was challenging; Poland proved to be a formidable opponent. They were well-structured and capitalized on their early goal, making it tougher for us.
Although we had numerous promising chances, we need to improve our finishing. Overall, I believe we put in a commendable performance against them.”
He further emphasized, “Our team is characterized by resilience and determination. We have good substitutes, and that’s what you saw today. I think we changed the whole front line, and they came in and performed very well, so that’s a strength for us as well.”
Ryan Gravenberch, another Liverpool player, was an unused substitute for the Netherlands during the match.
The win puts Netherlands off to a great start in Group D, making a good vibe for their Euro 2024 run. With top players like Gakpo and Van Dijk doing well, the Dutch squad aims to keep this energy going in their next upcoming games.
