Fans on X have blasted former Barcelona forward Memphis Depay after he struggled to be clinical in the Netherlands' 2-1 win over Poland on Sunday, June 16. The Oranje got their Euro 2024 campaign off to the perfect start and are currently at the top of Group D with three points.
The Netherlands had a bright start but failed to convert their chances early on. Poland took a shock lead in the 12th minute after Adam Buksa buried his header into the bottom-right corner. Ronald Koeman and Co. continued to probe for a leveler. However, both Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay failed to find the back of the net shortly after Poland's opener.
Fortunately, Liverpool's Cody Gakpo made it 1-1 in the 29th minute, taking full advantage of a deflection. The Oranje hunted for a winner in the second half and went on to find one. Second-half substitute Wout Weghorst scored from close range in the 83rd minute.
Despite their win, the Dutch fans were far from happy with Depay's performance. He missed one big chance in the first half, landed none of his four shots on target, and lost six duels. Weghorst replaced him in the 81st minute, which enabled the Netherlands to seal all three points just two minutes later.
One fan posted:
"Depay missed about 600 chances just for Weghorst to bag his first"
Another fan wrote:
"Memphis Depay can’t get away with this"
Other reactions can be viewed below:
"Depay rise for ur country g. disgraceful performance," one fan said
"Depay shouldn't start again...." one fan insisted
"He’s utterly useless. All style and zero substance," another added
"Memphis Depay trying to sneak onto the team bus after todays performance," one fan posted
"Am just wondering what the likes of Van Basten,Ruud Van Nestrooy,Patrick Kluivert, Denis Berghkamp and Robin Van Persie think watching this Memphis Depay show today. And his 5 goals away from being the Dutch all time goal scorer,that’s why stats are so much overrated sometimes," one fan wrote
"No footballer has ever given more Saudi Pro League vibes than Memphis Depay I’m honestly shocked he’s not playing there yet," another claimed
Poland 1-2 Netherlands: Exploring the stats from Euro 2024 clash
Wout Weghorst proved to be the hero for the Netherlands after he came off the bench to help them secure a vital 2-1 win against Poland at Euro 2024. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed:
Ronald Koeman's side dominated possession with 67 percent. They attempted 583 passes with an accuracy of 88 percent. In contrast, Poland had 33 percent possession, attempting 293 passes with an accuracy of 78 percent.
The Netherlands were more industrious in attack landing 21 shots in total - their most in a game at a major tournament since 2012. However, only four were on target. Poland mustered 12 shots in total, with seven being on target.