The Netherlands defeated Romania 3-0 in their round of 16 match on Tuesday with to goals from forward Cody Gakpo, who scored his third goal of the European Championship, and two more goals from Donyell Malen in the closing minutes of play. The Dutch looked sharp again.
The Dutch, who had been criticised by their supporters and media for a weak defensive performance in their last group match, a 3-2 loss to Austria, were more collected and in control as they advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Championship for the first time since 2008.
Before the Netherlands gradually began to take control of the game, Romania dominated possession of the ball for the first fifteen minutes.
After 20 minutes, they took the lead thanks to a low shot from player of the match Gakpo that found the near post of keeper Florin Nita. Malen’s late double then helped set up a quarterfinal meeting on Saturday in Berlin against Austria or Turkey, who play later on Tuesday.
Gakpo was a threat all evening and set up Malen’s opening goal in the eighty-third minute, keeping the ball in play on the touchline and slamming it across the box for a simple tap-in.
The Dutch showed signs of life at the tournament when Malen scored his second goal in stoppage time. He got the ball in midfield, dribbled into the penalty area, and shot past Nita.
Romania had very few opportunities during the game and never appeared to be a real threat as the Netherlands maintained possession and bided their time to break forward.
With 24 attempts, the Dutch had nearly five times more chances than Romania and two thirds of the possession. Virgil van Dijk‘s header against the post and Gakpo’s second attempt that was disallowed for offside further demonstrated their domination.
Nova88 Official Partnerships:
Official Asian Regional Partner 2023/24 – FC Internazionale Milano
Official Asian Betting Partner 2023/24 – Sevilla FC
Introducing Nova88’s Official Partner in Asian Sportsbook Forum – Asianbookie
Nova88’s Official Partner Livescore Platform – Livescore.com
