Wout Weghorst came to the Netherlands’ rescue in their opening match of Euro 2024 against Poland, scoring with his first touch as a second-half substitute to secure a 2-1 win for Ronald Koeman’s side.
The Dutch striker, who is still on the books of English Championship side Burnley, struck within minutes of replacing Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, who had drawn Netherlands level with a deflected shot in the first half. Poland took an early lead through Adam Buksa in the 16th minute in Hamburg.
Poland’s key man Robert Lewandowski had to watch from the sidelines after injury ruled him out of the first game, while the Netherlands were without their star midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who had to withdraw from the training camp this week because of a recurring ankle injury.
Michael Cox and Andy Jones run through the key talking points from the Netherlands’ win…
Are the Dutch dark horses?
For a brief period, it seemed like Poland were about to record the first surprise victory of Euro 2024. The Netherlands had to do it the hard way, coming back from an early concession to win 2-1 — just like Italy had the previous evening.
And the Netherlands thoroughly deserved it. Even when chasing the game, they offered more width and combination play than Poland. They are not the complete package, without the guile of De Jong in midfield and with Memphis Depay and Gakpo taking on ambitious shots and then snatching at clear-cut chances.
But there is a defined system — a 4-2-3-1 without possession that becomes a 3-3-1-3 in possession thanks to Denzel Dumfries’ speed down the right — and an ability to work the ball forward from defence. Nathan Ake’s sporadic forward runs freed up Gakpo to cut inside and shoot, while Tijjani Reijnders offers intelligence and clever movement at the top of their midfield.
The Netherlands can probably just about be considered a dark horse for this competition considering their poor performance at — or absence from — tournaments over the last decade. They will need to be more technically impressive than this to go deep in Euro 2024, but Koeman’s side were far superior to Poland.
Michael Cox
Weghorst makes the difference
Wout, there he is.
Just when you might have forgotten about Weghorst, who spent last season on loan at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, another major tournament rolls around for him to remind you of what he does best, scoring goals.
Netherlands had plenty of possession, they had plenty of territory, they created plenty of openings but they had very little cutting edge. They were toiling as the clock ticked down and they needed inspiration.
Netherlands managed 20 shots but only three of them were on target when Weghorst entered on 81 minutes. To sum it all up, their previous goal, from Gakpo, came via a significant deflection which wrong-footed the Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
They needed a moment of inspiration and Koeman turned to the Burnley striker. Just as he did at the World Cup when Weghorst netted twice against Argentina to take the quarter-final to extra time, he produced another key moment from the bench (see his map below).
Two minutes, his first touch — he thumped home Ake’s deflected pass, which fell perfectly to him in the box. Just like it had been planned all along.
Andy Jones
How do you replace Lewandowski?
Adam Buksa’s brief was simple — step up in the absence of Poland’s captain, talisman and all-time record goalscorer, and one of best strikers of his generation. Simple, right?
Apparently, yes.
Buksa, the Antalyaspor forward who scored 16 Super Lig goals last season, was selected to lead the line with Lewandowski ruled out with a thigh injury. The 27-year-old answered the call by putting Poland in front with a delicate flicked header from a first-half corner.
His movement was impressive throughout and he provided a target for his team-mates to hit and play off to get them up the pitch and release the pressure being applied by the Netherlands.
The former New England Revolution striker, who scored 29 in 66 games in MLS between 2020 and 2022, has shown he can find the back of the net with Poland. His seventh international goal came in his 16th appearance.
The hope is Lewandowski will be fit for the next fixture against Austria but if he isn’t, Buksa has shown he can provide goals.
Andy Jones
Let’s hope the goals keep flying in
It is usually about this stage of a major tournament where, on the television coverage, the host grimaces as he starts to ask questions to the punditry panel about another half-time 0-0. “Still waiting for the tournament to really explode into life, aren’t we?”, is usually one of his follow-up questions.
That certainly doesn’t apply this time. OK, the first two goals here were rather unglamorous — a header from a corner and a huge deflection. But Weghorst’s winner was a well-taken finish and the tournament has featured plenty of goals — 19 in five games. Every match has featured at least two.
And that doesn’t feel like a fluke. The matches have been open, free-flowing and entertaining. Most teams are pressing high rather than dropping deep. It’s a fair reflection of good football.
This has probably been helped by the relatively mild weather in Germany this summer, in stark contrast to the sweltering temperatures of World Cup 2006, the last time Germany hosted a tournament. With packed crowds and noisy fanbases (in stark contrast to Euro 2020, when fans couldn’t travel to most games, and World Cup 2022, when most fans didn’t think the journey to Qatar was worth it) there’s more intensity, more tempo, more excitement.
Let’s hope it stays this way.
Michael Cox
What did Michal Probierz say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What did Ronald Koeman say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Poland?
Friday, June 21: Austria, Group D (Berlin), 5pm BST, noon ET
What next for the Netherlands?
Friday, June 21: France, Group D (Berlin), 8pm BST, 3pm ET
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(Top photo: Joosep Martinson – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
