The Netherlands swept into their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 with a 3-0 win over Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday, as Donyell Malen scored twice. Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch an early lead but they were unable to turn the screw and turn that pressure into a crucial second goal until the Liverpool forward set up Malen with seven minutes remaining in Munich.
Romania were grimly resilient, though, and did not have the class to punish their opponents for missing so many clear-cut chances before Malen added his second on the counter deep into stoppage-time.
It put the Oranje on course for a quarter-final date with either Turkey or Austria, who defeated the Netherlands 3-2 at the group stage.
“Yeah we played a good game. Very pleased. Of course, especially after the last game we needed a bit of a reaction and today was a good step in the right direction”, Gakpo said.
“I think we talked a lot about the aggression, the intensity and defending as a team, which was a good step.
“Try and sacrifice something for each other, work really hard to be at your best and it is a good game overall.”
Ronald Koeman’s team will need to be more ruthless in front of goal if they are to emulate their manager, who as a player helped the Dutch win the 1988 Euros on German soil.
Speaking ahead of the match, Netherlands’ captain Virgil van Dijk said his side lacked energy and the “will to win” in the defeat to Austria.
But the Dutch remained strangely flat early on despite Van Dijk’s rallying cry.
– Gakpo sparks Oranje surge –
Group E winners Romania, whose 3-0 win over Ukraine in their opener was only their second-ever win in the Euros pinned back the Dutch early.
A superb diagonal ball from Nicolae Stanciu released Dennis Man, but the Parma winger blasted over.
Jerdy Schouten sliced a perfect, long pass through the midfield to Xavi Simons, who laid it left to Gakpo.
Gakpo eluded Andrei Ratiu and appeared to catch goalkeeper Florin Nita off-guard, blasting in at the near post.
That really sparked an element of Dutch domination, Stefan de Vrij heading inches wide five minutes later.
The Netherlands wasted a perfect opportunity to double the lead with half-time approaching – Denzel Dumfries picking Bogdan Racovitan’s pocket and finding Simons, who got tangled up and didn’t get a decent shot away.
Early in the second half, Koeman’s team squandered a raft of opportunities.
Memphis Depay and van Dijk went agonisingly close before Gakpo’s second was ruled out by VAR for offside.
With every chance that did not end in a goal, anxiety kept seeping into the Dutch camp; but Romania lacked class to really make them pay.