Netherlands rolls past Romania to reach last eight

You could be forgiven for thinking that the Netherlands was the best team in the world midway through the first half, sometime after Cody Gakpo’s stunning strike and before halftime. Despite a woeful group stage, the Dutch flipped the switch and played like champions in their 3-0 win over Romania. They dominated possession over one of the peskier teams of the tournament. The Netherlands fought off Romania’s high press with ease. They carved up Romania’s compact defense and created several chances in front of a stunned crowd of 65,000.

The Dutch looked and felt unstoppable on the pitch. Their surge in confidence and form comes exactly at the right time. With a quarterfinal bid on the line and looking to redeem themselves after a draw to France and a loss to Austria, the Dutch faced questions about their status as a legitimate contender. But, as they held possession, squeezing the life and morale out of a helpless Romania, the concerns and questions vanished. Led by Cody Gakpo’s goal and assist, the Dutch strolled to the last eight looking like one of the best teams in the tournament.

Their strength showed during the first half after they took the lead. The Dutch played the most beautiful, possession-oriented soccer they have played in a while. Tijjani Reijnders and Stefan de Vrij ping-ponged the ball around the back line. Advanced players like Xavi Simons and Memphis Depay dropped deep. They strung together passes, got several shots on goal, and played the tiki-taka Guardiola could only dream of. After three shaky group stage performances, the Netherlands is finally back.

Gakpo goal gives the Netherlands an early lead

The name Gakpo will come up a lot of times in this piece. And for good reason. The Liverpool winger was indisputably the best player on the pitch today, and he is arguably the best in this tournament. He looked unstoppable on the pitch, whether it was drifting into the middle with his right, bursting down the byline with his left, or using his creativity and vision to set up teammates.

Romania nearly scored in the 13th minute through Dennis Man. Man cut inside with his left foot and hit a curling ball that dipped just over the crossbar. Anguish and dismay were colored all over Man’s face — it looked just inches away from being a goal.

However, Gakpo’s impact was felt early on, as he put the Dutch ahead in the 20th minute. After receiving Xavi Simons’ ball down the wing, Gakpo took on the opposing Romanian defender. Gakpo sized him up, taking a few hesitant steps before sliding the ball to his right. With the new-found separation Gakpo found, he rifled his strike past the outstretched arms of keeper Florin Nita. Goal.

As ex-Netherlands midfielder and now-pundit Rafael van der Vaart said after the match, “There are not many players who could receive the ball and who could make a defender shit his pants. Gakpo is one of them.” His words couldn’t be truer.

The Netherlands got his second goal through Gakpo, this time an assist. Memphis Depay, who played one of his best matches in a Netherlands jersey, flicked a beautiful ball to Gakpo on the edge of the box. Matching up this time against Spurs‘ 190-pound center-back Radu Dragusin, Gakpo took a heavy shoulder check from Dragusin, kept control of the ball dangerously close to the sideline, fought off pressure from two more defenders, and stabbed a cutback to Donyell Malen. It sounds exhausting to read, but even more exhausting considering Gakpo had just performed this Herculean feat having 80 minutes played of high-intensity soccer.

Malen, with a wide-open net in front of him, scored to all but secure a win for the Dutch.

The Dutch got their third and final goal from Malen in stoppage time. With Romania looking to claw back two goals, they threw all their outfield players forwards. However, it backfired, as Malen started a counter-attack with only Razvan Marin to beat. Malen made light work on an unfortunate Marin, sizing him up, cutting into the middle with his right, and throwing Marin off-balance. A twisted-up Marin, bent over his own feet, could only watch as Malen cleanly converted his chance to make it 3-0 for the Netherlands.

Netherlands looks strong against Romania

Their 3-0 win was a comprehensive performance for the Dutch as they quieted the doubts raised by their questionable group stage performances. Their opponents, a Romanian squad stricken by injuries and grateful to have made it this far, were vast underdogs in the game. They saw little to no involvement in the game. Romania couldn’t take control of the game, in part due to the gulf in quality between the two and their lack of possession.

Credit has to be given to the defense as well. Aside from a few clumsy mistakes from Virgil van Dijk and company, the Netherlands remained very sturdy and composed. In their limited opportunities to shine, the Dutch frustrated Romania with their compactness and pressing intensity. They looked calm in possession, even when tasked with beating the press and keeping the ball.

“We defended really well, Romania barely created anything,” Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman said. “A good victory.”

However, the focus was on the offensive core, who dominated possession and kept Romania off the ball for the majority of the game. The Dutch exploited Romania’s defensive issues after two of Romania’s left-backs saw minimal involvement due to injury.

The entire front four (or five, counting substitute Malen) looked potent today. Simons added two assists. Simons showed his creativity against Romania, creating several key chances for the Netherlands. Romania’s defense found him hard to stop. Both Malen and Steven Bergwijn burst through Romania’s flanks with ease. It’s the most complete performance we’ve seen from the Netherlands in a long time.

“Xavi Simons was incredible today,” Koeman continued. “He took the right decision every single time, and his drive was fantastic.”

Memphis Depay embarrassed his markers on multiple occasions with several fancy tricks. Depay took a more active role than ever in the Dutch offense. The ex-Atleti striker dropped deep, combining with Gakpo, Simons, and more when they built up attacks.

The best player on the pitch was the magnificent Gakpo. In his time on the ball, he wreaked havoc. He was the Netherlands’ main source of offense. Gakpo created both opportunities for players, while also taking players on in his own right. He embodies the Total Football culture that has defined the Netherlands for decades — versatile, intelligent, and beautiful to watch. Gakpo is making a name for himself as one of the Euros’ most lethal players in the tournament.

The Dutch will face the winners of Austria and Turkey in the quarter-finals. Their quarterfinal appearance is the farthest they’ve gone at the Euros since 2008. For a Netherlands side that started their continental conquest down 1-0 against Poland and faced countless criticisms about their playstyle, their progress is refreshing and promising going into the future.

PHOTOS: IMAGO