It was unfortunate that Romania’s dream run at the Euros ended this way but as a football fan, it was divine to watch such a good team resurrect themselves at the big stage.
Entering the Euros unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, Edward Iordănescu’s men continued their heroics at the main tournament in Germany. ‘The Tricolours’ as the Romanian football team are affectionately called, topped Group E with stellar performances against Ukraine and Slovakia.
The ‘generation of soul’ as their coach calls them fondly, have reignited the passion for football with their quick attacking style in a world that has largely adopted the two-touch pass style of play since 2010. But simply relying on an inspirational streak was not enough when the East European nation squared off against Netherlands in the Round of 16 match at Munich.
The Netherlands, heavyweight contenders of the tournament and winners in 1988, sought to improve their form after a dismal defeat against Austria in the group stage. Ronald Koeman’s team had not only a point to prove to the world but also a mission to accomplish against a spirited fearless young opposition.
Both Teams Went All Attack!
The Dutch stayed true to their plan as Xavi Simons took a straight shot at the Romanian goal within just five minutes of play. Romania too displayed their prowess with lighting paces of attack coupled with quick player combinations.
Ianis Hagi, (son of Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi, who took his nation to the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup), was combining well in attack. In the seventh minute, Hagi dribbled past the Dutch defenders and gave an excellent through pass which however failed to materialise into an attack.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid forward Memphis Depay was ghosting in the Romanian defence throughout the game. He was the player who had last scored against the Tricolours when they had met at an international friendly in 2017. He and Simons combined well throughout the match, gradually destabilising Iordănescu’s defence.
While the Netherlands were aggressive in their attack, Romania was also looking for the first goal; it was a straight pass to Dennis Dragus in the 13th minute that made a dent in the Dutch defence. Romanian midfielder Dennis Man, who plays his club football for new Seria A joins Parma FC, cut past the Dutch defence from the right flank in a typical ‘Arjen Robben’ fashion, only failing to put the shot on target.
The Dutch Get The First Blood
The Romanians were a solid unit in defence until Cody Gakpo finding room, put in a power-packed shot in the near post, which left Romanian goalkeeper Florin Nita with no answer. This gave the Dutch a lead in the 20th minute as the Orange steered into a deeper level of confidence which began reflecting in their game.
The Romanians however were far from done. Having come back four times from behind in their qualifying campaign, the yellow shirts knew that the game was within their reach as midfielder Man came up with a powerful shot, which was blocked by Dutch defender Nathan Aké in the 23rd minute.
Unmarked Depay- A Heavy Price To Pay
Despite a good attack, the Romanians started to crumble and the Dutch began taking control of the game. Depay found Stefan de Vrij for a free header in the corner, but sadly only for side netting. In the 42nd minute, Dumfries grabbed the ball from the Romanian defender and passed it to Xavi Simons in what could have been their second goal if only the PSG star could have quickly put the shot away.
Romanian defender Radu Dragusin had a good game as he blocked countless attempts from Depay and gave clean, solid tackles throughout the first half.
Dutch Demolition In Second Half
The second half saw the Dutch with a more settled vision. Their aim of securing their lead with a second goal dominated much of the second half’s action. The Oranges were desperate for the double, as Depay’s effort was saved by the Nita thanks to a ricochet from the Romanian defence.
Captain and Liverpool star defender Virgil Van Dijk’s header hit the goal post in the 57th as the Dutch continued with their onslaught from the corners.Nita brilliantly saved Romania another goal by denying Cody Gakpo’s shot as the Dutch forward dribbled through the halfway line in a neat counterattack. Romania were gasping for air as the Dutch continued with their assault with Depay demonstrating why he was the big match player. In the 67th minute, he neatly placed the freekick below the jump of the huge Romania wall, as the shot missed the goalpost by mere inches.
An offside goal by Gakpo reinvigorated the yellow shirts to search for the equaliser but Malen kept the Tricolours busy as he led the counterattack in the 79th minute only choosing a wrong pass to Gakpo instead of Simons who was in a better scoring position.
Malen- The Man of the Moment
In the very next minute, Gakpo struggled past the yellow shirt and kept the ball in play in the Romanian D’ and supplied a lethal pass to Malen who converted an easy tap-in to give the Dutch a two-nil lead.
The Borussia Dortmund forward who recently played the Champions League final with his club had a game to remember, as Malen was uncontainable in the counterattacks. In the 92nd minute, he repeated his dribble through the middle of the pitch in the counter, only this time cutting past the Romanian defenders and putting the shot through himself to hand over the Netherlands a three-nil win along with a safe and encouraging passage to the last eight of the tournament.
Netherlands will now face Turkey in their quarter final clash on 7 July at 12:30 AM (IST).