Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen inspire the Netherlands to 3-0 victory over Romania as Dutch reach Euro 2024 quarterfinals
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — The Netherlands booked its spot in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 thanks to a 3-0 victory over Romania on Tuesday.
Cody Gakpo opened the scoring for the Netherlands in Munich with a powerful finish midway through the first half as he continued his impressive goalscoring form at the tournament. It was the Liverpool forward’s third goal of Euro 2024.
The Dutch had multiple opportunities to double its lead but were wasteful in front of goal until Gakpo produced a magical run to set up Donyell Malen for the Netherlands’ second.
It was Malen who scored the third Dutch goal in added time, running clear before finding the net with a low shot.
The Netherlands will play Turkey in the quarterfinals after its 2-1 win over Austria in Leipzig later on Tuesday.
A convincing performance
Monday’s game was played in Munich’s Allianz Arena, a ground which is approximately six miles away from the city’s former main stadium.
The Olympic Stadium staged two of the most famous moments in Dutch football history – the Netherlands’ loss to West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final and when it won the 1988 Euros.
Having been beaten by Austria in its final group game in Berlin, the Netherlands were a different proposition in Munich on Tuesday, perhaps channeling some of that historical success in the Bavarian capital.
Gakpo opening the scoring with a wonderful solo goal, picking the ball up wide on the left before driving into the Romania box and blasting past Florin Niță at his near post.
The goal makes him the joint-top goalscorer at the tournament alongside Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala of Germany and Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz.
Ronald Koeman’s side came close to doubling its lead minutes later, but Stefan de Vrij’s header from close range found the side-netting of the Romania goal.
The Oranje was completely on top after Gakpo’s goal, dominating possession and producing some confident passing play to torment the Romanian defense. Xavi Simons was the next to come close but his effort from a good position dribbled harmlessly wide.
Although Romania – playing in the knockout stages of a European Championships for just the second time and first since 2000 – grew into the first half, Edward Iordănescu’s side was unable to trouble Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen before the interval.
The Dutch dominated the second half. Memphis Depay looked like he could just tap into the net from close range, only for Andrei Rațiu to produce a brilliant defensive challenge. Minutes later, the Dutch captain, Virgil van Dijk, hit the post with a header from a corner.
Gakpo continued to torment the Romanian defense, and he thought he had doubled the Netherlands’ lead when he slammed home from close range only for the video assistant referee (VAR) to rule the goal out for offside.
The Netherlands finally got that second goal in the 83rd minute when Gakpo managed to keep the ball in play on the byline. The 25-year-old then cleverly pulled the ball back for Malen, who slammed home for his first goal of the tournament.
Things got even better for Malen in the final seconds of the game, as he got his second goal of the game by finishing off a swift counterattack.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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