Cody Gakpo was on fire, helping the Netherlands secure its spot in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Romania.
The Liverpool forward was a constant menace at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Tuesday, giving Brighton target Andrei Ratiu a torrid time from the left wing and contributing both goals and assists for Ronald Koeman’s revitalised team.
Gakpo opened the scoring 20 minutes in, cutting inside Romanian right-back Ratiu and firing home with venom. This marked his third goal of the tournament, putting him level with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze as the competition’s top scorer.
If Gakpo can keep up this form, he’ll feel like a fresh addition to Liverpool’s squad this summer – potentially even an upgrade on Luis Diaz – especially with fellow Dutchman Arne Slot joining the ranks. Despite posting respectable stats last season with 16 goals and six assists for the Reds, his performance was inconsistent due to frequent positional changes. However, it’s clear that his best position is cutting in from the left and firing off shots.
Stefan de Vrij had Romania’s goalkeeper Florin Nita scrambling when he headed against the side netting before Tottenham center-back Radu Dragusin stepped in to block Denzel Dumfries’ pass across goal to Memphis Depay. The Dutch team were undoubtedly wasteful and could have been comfortably ahead if they’d been more clinical in the final third.
Romanian substitute Bogdan Racovitan was caught dawdling as he tried to shepherd the ball out of play, allowing Dumfries to steal it and find Xavi Simons, who couldn’t adjust his feet in time to finish. Dumfries’ athleticism consistently troubled Romania’s defence, and the Inter Milan wing-back seemed to be pulled back at the far post by Ianis Hagi, but German referee Felix Zwayer wasn’t interested.
Gakpo was the driving force behind Holland’s pursuit of a second goal after half-time, with his 25-yard strike forcing Nita into action and a goal disallowed by VAR for offside. However, this only seemed to motivate him further as he linked up well with substitute Joey Veerman, who narrowly missed out on a redemption moment following his early withdrawal in the 3-2 loss to Austria in Berlin.
Then, when Gakpo persisted in trying despite it seemed hopeless, Donyell Malen doubled Holland’s lead by surprising Romanian defender Dragusin and setting up his colleague for the goal. With a confident finish from the left, Malen added a third goal, and then he controversially celebrated in front of the disgruntled Romanian supporters.
In this match, Liverpool star has 3 Chances created, 4 shots, 100% dribbles, 3 Recoveries, 3/4 Duels won
This was a strong comeback from the Dutch side, who didn’t even need to shift out of second gear, following their poor performance against Austria in Berlin. Now, they should have the confidence that they have the talent, momentum and drive to make it at least to the semifinals. Gakpo will surely be at the heart of his country’s Euros charge.
