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The Netherlands secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Romania in their round of 16 clash at UEFA Euro 2024 on Tuesday, July 2. They will now play the winner of the game between Austria and Turkey in the quarter-finals on July 6.
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The Netherlands made a strong start to the game and looked to control the tempo in the early exchanges as Romania chased the ball. Oranje dominated for about 10 minutes before their opponents found some momentum themselves until midway through the first half. However, Cody Gakpo put the Dutch ahead after 20 minutes following an assist by Xavi Simons.
The Liverpool forward's third goal of the tournament put the Netherlands in a strong position but they could have had more. With seven first-half attempts, one would expect Ronald Koeman's men to have at least another significant attempt. They were unable to breach Romania's defence or get past Florin Nita as they carried a 1-0 lead into half-time.
Koeman made one alteration at the break as Steven Bergwijn was withdrawn for Donyell Malen as the Dutch looked to attack more centrally. They continued dominating possession and created several chances in the second period but had to wait until late in the game to score again. Cody Gakpo continued to dictate games for the Netherlands as he assisted Malen for 2-0 in the 83rd minute.
Ten minutes later, the substitute doubled his tally with a lovely run from near the halfway line before slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner. Simons grabbed his second assist of the night for that goal as the Netherlands cruised to victory in the end. Romania were unable to put anything together barring their solitary shot on target as they bowed out of Euro 2024.
On that note, let's take a look at Oranje's player ratings from the contest.
Netherlands Player Ratings
Bart Verbruggen - 7/10
Verbruggen made just one save throughout the game and passed the ball with 80% accuracy.
Denzel Dumfries - 8/10
Dumfries was solid at the back for the Netherlands as he won nine duels, making three clearances, three tackles and one interception. He also completed one dribble and played two key passes.
Stefan de Vrij - 7.5/10
De Vrij, too, had a great game in defence as he won eight duels, making four clearances, three tackles and one interception. He also attempted two shots but failed to hit the target.
Virgil van Dijk - 7.5/10
The Dutch skipper put in another commanding performance at the heart of his team's defence. Van Dijk made eight clearances and played three key passes. He also came close to scoring in the second half but was narrowly wide.
Nathan Ake - 7.5/10
Ake was solid at the back as he won three duels, making three tackles, two clearances and one interception. He also played one key pass and attempted two shots but failed to hit the target.
Jerdy Schouten - 7/10
Schouten passed the ball with 94% accuracy, including one cross and one key pass. He also won three duels, making two interceptions and two tackles.
Tijjani Reijnders - 7/10
Reijnders passed the ball with 96% accuracy and also won four duels. He attempted three shots but failed to hit the target.
Steven Bergwijn - 6.5/10
Bergwijn played for the first half and put in a decent shift defensively as he won two duels and made one clearance. However, his ineffectiveness going forward with no shots, crosses or key passes led to him being subbed off at the break.
Xavi Simons - 8/10
Simons had a great game and ended the night with two assists for the Netherlands. He also won four duels and attempted two shots, with one of those on target.
Cody Gakpo - 9/10
Once again, Gakpo proved to be the difference for the Netherlands with a dominant performance and a goal and an assist to show for it. He also played three key passes and won three duels. He was named Player of the Match.
Memphis Depay - 7/10
Depay had a rather quiet night in front of goal for the Netherlands as he attempted four shots but did not hit the target with a single one of them.
Substitutes
Donyell Malen - 9/10
Malen put in a classic impact substitute performance as he scored a brace off the bench for the Dutch. He also played two key passes and won five duels in a game-changing second-half performance.
Micky van de Ven - 6.5/10
He replaced Ake in the second half and put in a reasonably good shift.
Joey Veerman - 6/10
Veerman replaced Schouten in the second half but squandered a golden chance to score shortly after coming on.
Wout Weghorst - 6.5/10
Weghorst only had six touches of the ball but still won three duels in his cameo.
Daley Blind - N/A
He came on late in the game and played very few minutes to warrant a rating.
