Cody Gakpo has strange habits: he has been carrying a wooden hippopotamus for years and dribbles like few others. Holland takes the dribbles and says thank you: they deserved to go to the quarterfinals – they are stronger than Romania, and not by a little – but the trip to Berlin is mainly thanks to the number 11. A passage to the next round in two acts. The first: after 20 minutes controlled by Romania, Gakpo invented a dribble-plus-shot from the left that put Holland ahead and changed the balance of the match. Cody, a democrat, also had an impact in the second half. First he scored offside – cancelled by VAR – then he skipped past Dragusin and freed Malen with the net essentially empty: 2-0 Holland and the game over. Malen, again him, in full recovery ran the entire pitch on the counterattack, skipped past Razvan Marin and scored the 3-0.
convincing holland
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Rambo Koeman, in short, continues with the submarine tactic. Nobody cares about him, everyone says that others will win, and yet he is in the top eight and, on Saturday in Berlin, will play Austria and Turkey. Whatever happens, he will start with a 51% chance of reaching the semifinals. Throw him away… After a group closed in third place, Munich confirmed: Holland has quality up front and Van Dijk starts at the back, which is a good start. There is no shortage of solutions. Depay missed a couple of opportunities but he is fine, you can see, and Denzel Dumfries made the furrows on the right: excellent match. The score is well deserved.
the match
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Romania played it without fear, because Iordanescu, ready to go and get money in the Emirates, tried with the organization. The game started with long periods of yellow possession, at least until the goal that gave strength to Holland. Here it is: Gakpo dribbled Ratiu from the left and kicked hard to the near post, where Nita did not arrive. From there, a lot of Holland. Reijnders at the half hour had a vertical idea for Dumfries, who crossed low for Depay, anticipated by Dragusin as in the movies: at the last possible moment. Above all, Xavi Simons before the break wasted a great gift from Dumfries, who had stolen the ball on the goal line from the very tender Racovitan, a name from a medicine, but in reality a headache for his coach. The second half was a domination, as the actions explain. Minute 9: another cross from Dumfries, Ratiu in a desperate save on Depay. Minute 13: Van Dijk narrowly misses. Minute 17: Gakpo comes out of the pressing in his own half, crosses the pitch and goes to shoot. Excellent Nita. Minute 23: great free kick by Depay under the wall, without a crocodile. Out of nothing. Minute 26: Veerman, just entered, widens his right foot just wide to the far post. With 7 minutes to go, 2-0: Gakpo goes away on the left and frees Malen in the area. In the 93rd minute, the third goal.
romania
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Romania, it is understood, was a team without individuals worthy of an eighth place at the European Championship. Dragus, the striker, never breathed fire. Hagi and Man, on the wings, tried with a few dribbles but never bothered Verbruggen. Alibec, who came on with Mihaila, didn’t change anything. The best was Radu Dragusin for a long time, to whom Italy did a lot of good, but at 2-0 he also has responsibilities. And so off we go, right to return to Bucharest. What remains is a beautiful adventure and a great curve that at 90′, amidst depression, started singing “Romania, Romania”. A thank you.
