Euro 2024, last 16: Romania 0 Netherlands 3 (Gakpo 20, Malen 83, 90+3)
Suddenly, undeservedly, a straight road to the European Championships final opens before Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands.
As Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons continually struggled to punish Romania’s shaky resistance, Cody Gakpo obliged. Having scored the first goal himself, Gakpo’s slippery skills and strength exposed the tiring Radu Drăgușin to create the second for Donyell Malen in the dying minutes.
It was needed to put Romania out of their misery.
The goals sum up this last 16 tie: slack defending exposed by classy touches from a Champions League-calibre attacker at the home of Bayern Munich.
In the same city, different stadium, that ‘Holland’ beat the Soviet Union in the 1988 final, this was a routine Dutch victory, far from a classic, like the last Euros held in Germany when Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard briefly painted the football landscape orange.
Gakpo could lace Rijkaard’s boots but Depay and Simons do not deserve a mention in the same sentence as their awe-inspiring predecessors.
Nonetheless, the Netherlands are into a quarter-final in Berlin on Saturday. It remains to be seen whether Koeman can elicit more from this group.
Oddly, the German match officials donned the iconic 1974 Dutch strip as Romania’s all yellow forced a colour change. A Cruyff-turn from referee Felix Zwayer would have lifted this lethargic affair.
The contest, or the lack thereof, weakened the argument for a last 16 at a 24-team Euros. The crowd was muted with plenty of seats available as Sommermärchen 2.0 temporarily ran out of steam in Munich on Tuesday evening.
Romania, to their credit, topped Group E, albeit on the same points as Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine but the Netherlands were in total control. It actually served to highlight their shortcomings.
It started well for all concerned. The underdogs high press had the Dutch in trouble with Denzel Dumfries clearing his goal line before Ianis Hagi could connect with Dennis Man’s cross.
Hagi came off worse, needing medical attention for a cut to his head. The son of Gheorghe, the “Carpathian Maradona” who almost obliterated Ireland at Italia ‘90, reappeared with a crown of white-netting usually worn by fast food servers. He remained an occasional threat off the left, with probing balls ensuring that Nathan Aké needed to sweep up behind centre-halves Stefan De Vrij and Virgil van Dijk.
This is not a vintage Dutch squad, but Denzel Dumfries makes up an elite back four. On paper at least. However, Răzvan Marin’s pass split De Vrij and Van Dijk only for Denis Drăguş' heavy touch making it impossible to tee-up the late arriving Hagi.
Seconds later, Dennis Man sent another early shiver down Koeman’s spine with a clean strike just clearing Bart Verbruggen’s crossbar into a sea of yellow fans.
Romania almost looked good enough to be here, until Gakpo’s quality told in the 20th minute. Koeman’s team have avoided the lesson England and Portugal learned, by allowing Slovakia and Slovenia stay in their knockout ties, when Gakpo punished right back Andrei Rațiu’s inability to stay in front of him. Florin Niță was having a fine tournament in nets until the Liverpool star’s speculative shot exposed the 37-year-old at his near post.
Romania coach Edward Iordănescu reacted by erecting two banks of five to avoid the killer second goal before half-time. But they were creaking. With Nicusor Bancu suspended, when Vasile Mogos limped off, Bogdan Racovitzan came on and Andrei Burca became their third left back of the tournament. Dumfries immediately beat Racovitan but Jerdy Schouten failed to add a finishing touch.
Hagi did benefit from Dumfries attacking instincts but his deliveries were continually met by Van Dijk large frame.
Gakpo was the difference. Not long after drawing a parry from Niță, he appeared to tie a neat bow on the proceedings only for VAR to rule his second goal offside.
Security lapsed again at these Euros in the 90th minute when a small child ran on to the pitch to embrace, of all people, Niță. Uefa stewarding has more questions to answer. As have the Dutch.
Three-nil, on paper, covers up their many failings, as Malen snatched his second in injury-time.
