EC footballFor 75 minutes, the Netherlands seemed to be making a statement. Orange walked over Ukraine at times. Still, it gave away a 2-0 lead in four minutes and then took the match via Dumfries in the final phase. A huge mental boost, but not all doubts disappeared under the turf.
The run-up was bumpy and we express ourselves softly. The optimism above the Moerdijk before the start of the European Championship could be called lukewarm with some good will. No, the Orange madness was rather limited to publicity stunts from supermarkets and a few parodying European Championship songs. And yet for 75 minutes it looked as if everything would fall into place. The Orange started steaming against Ukraine in the 5-3-2 of national coach De Boer, which had already been canceled in advance. He had every confidence in himself and for good reason. De Boer has managed to erase a few hitches that came up in the practice matches in a week’s time.
Depay tested goalkeeper Bushchan in the second minute and Dumfries brushed on the Ukrainian final piece from close by. The pace was definitely blistering in that initial phase. Halfway through the first half we saw Van Aanholt – who was surprisingly preferred on the left – bent over for breath. Ukraine nailed it all as well as possible, but shifted excellently, often with Yarmolenko on the right and the well-known Yaremchuk as a handball player.
Just before half-time, an attack wave from Orange went through the Johan Cruyff Arena. Memphis Depay asked and got the support of the 16,000 who were allowed to attend with a negative PCR test. Wijnaldum kicked hard, but Bushchan still had a strong reflex. Dumfries headed incomprehensibly wide. The Orange showed a completely different face than in the practice matches in which it rattled from all sides, but with ten attempts before half-time and 60 percent possession of the ball, the Orange failed to score.
Delay, but no adjustment. Orange turned the throttle a little further immediately after the rest. Ukraine was now cracking. Wijnaldum mercilessly punished a mistake by goalkeeper Bushchan: 1-0. Orange seemed unleashed and crushed Malinovskyi and co. A rooting Weghorst punished naive defense with the 2-0. The much-loved striker also wiped away the doubts about his starting spot. The Netherlands suddenly roses. It opted for control and did not emphatically look for a third goal. That seemed the right choice because Ukraine never appeared in the story again until Yarmolenko suddenly brushed a ball into the top corner. Completely out of the blue, but it was enough to sow doubt among our northern neighbors. With Malinovskyi in the other camp it is best not to give away free kicks. De Vrij did so anyway and the ex-Genkie served Yaremchuk with a perfect pass. The Buffale headed straight in. 2-2 and the Netherlands suddenly headed for a loss of points and a new hope of despair.
However, the match turned once again. Aké curled in front of goal and Dumfries headed in hard. In this way he saved the Dutch after all. They start the European Championship with a heroic victory in a spectacular match with five goals after the break. The Orange can already qualify for the 1/8th final against Austria on Thursday.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
